Saving Charlotte
by bookworm2342
Summary: After Charlotte's death, Daniel is devastated and he attempts to save her. How much will he change, and will he succeed? Rated for some swearing, just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Lost. If I did, Charlotte would still be alive.

Chapter 1

Daniel stared at Charlotte, desperation filling every inch of his body. Tears rolled down his face, and he grasped her hand even harder. "Charlotte, open your eyes" he said, his voice filled with the anguish he was feeling. "Charlotte, please. Wake up" he begged, sobbing. His heart sinking, he reached with his free hand to take her pulse. Although his hand was trembling, he felt nothing. He knew that she was gone.

Daniel shut his eyes, wondering how he could've failed her. He promised that nothing would happen to her, that he would fix it. As soon as she had died, the world felt wrong. He knew that this shouldn't have happened. As he looked at the sky, he cried out "She wasn't supposed to die, do you hear me? Please! Let her come back!"

As he dropped his gaze back to Charlotte, the sky filled with light and another flash occurred. Despite the extreme brightness, the flash barely registered. He was consumed with Charlotte, attempting to memorize every inch of her before everyone else came back. He stared at her face, and with a broken sob he reached out and shut her blue eyes. Only a short time earlier, they had been filled with life. Now, she was staring blankly at something he couldn't see, no matter how hard he tried. Her red hair fanned out around the ground, still catching the sunlight streaming through the trees.

Daniel didn't know how long he had sat, staring at Charlotte's lifeless body before the remaining members of the group returned. He heard footsteps approaching, but it did nothing to make him look away from Charlotte. The steps stopped suddenly and quiet gasps of shock filled the air.

"Daniel, what happened?" he heard a female voice say. For a moment, he thought it was Charlotte, but the voice did not have her British accent. After his momentary burst of hope, he realized that the voice belonged to Juliet. "Did she…?"

"She's... gone. Died after you left. I - - I don't know how lo…long ago that was". He realized that it was now dark, but it seemed fitting. The darkness fit his mood at the moment. Daniel's voice was hoarse from the crying and pleading he had done earlier. Now, it was flat, and eerily calm. How emotionless his voice was should have surprised him, but he felt as if he was incapable of feeling anything again. He still did not look away from Charlotte. He probably never would have, but Juliet had knelt down and used her face to block Daniel's view of Charlotte's voice.

He shut his eyes, fear filling him as he could no longer see Charlotte. He blinked a few times, and Juliet's face came into clear focus. He tried to look around her to see Charlotte, but she stopped him. She gently reached for his hand, and pried Charlotte's hand from his. As soon as he lost contact with her, he began to cry again.

"Daniel, look at me. I know this is hard, but what exactly happened?" Juliet questioned softly.

He got up and almost fell, due to the fact that he was shaking so hard. Jin ran to support him, but Daniel shrugged him off. He surveyed the rest of the group, and saw their shock and fear for what they had discovered. He did not see Locke, but it didn't matter. No matter what Locke had done, he didn't do it soon enough. Daniel didn't think he could ever forgive him. He turned away from them, closed his eyes, and began to speak, allowing the memory to wash over him.

_Charlotte's breathing was labored, she was coughing, and she was deathly pale. Daniel knew she didn't have much time left. The only hope he had was that Locke could fix this, and save Charlotte. He just prayed that it would happen in time. He knew she was fighting, but her strength was running out. _

"_Daniel" Charlotte said, so softly he could barely hear her. _

"_Yes?" Daniel responded, just as quiet. _

_Charlotte's eyes darted, as if she was considering telling him or not. Finally, she spoke. "I've been here before"_

_Daniel was shocked. "You've been…been here before?"_

"_I grew up here. On the Island. And there was this thing… the Dharma Initiative. I moved away with my mum. Just my mum. I never saw my dad again". Charlotte's voice cracked, as if she were about to cry, but she continued. "Then when I got back to England, I asked my mum about this place, yeah? But she would say that it wasn't real, and that I made it up" Daniel reached out and stroked her hair. "That's why I became an anthropologist. To find this Island again. It's what I've been searching for my whole life.__"_

_Fear filled Daniel, because with her revelation he knew her death was closer than he previously thought. "Charlotte, why are you telling me this?"_

_Charlotte began to cry as she continued her story. "__Because I remember something now. When I was little, living here. There was this man, this crazy man. He really scared me. And he told me that I had to leave the Island and never ever come back" A sob broke out, but she pressed on. "He told me that if I came back, I would die"_

_Daniel was confused, and tried to fight back tears of his own. "Charlotte, I don't understand"_

"_Daniel, I think that man was you" _

_At Charlotte's sentence, a million emotions hit him at once, and he couldn't sort through them all. He knew, in that instant, that she would die. He just didn't know when. _

_Charlotte broke into another coughing fit and Daniel immediately focused back on her "Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on… Stay. Stay. Stay with me. Stay, ok? Everything's going to be fine. Everything's going to be ok". He attempted to comfort her, as well as himself. "I've got a plan. I've got a plan. When we were back at the hatch I talked to Desmond. I told him to find my mother. She can help us Charlotte. She will help us" He desperately tried to get her to believe him so she would fight harder. _

_In a small voice, Charlotte replied "How can your mother help us?"_

_Daniel stroked her hair, and continued. "She can. She..." He trailed off as Charlotte coughed again and blood began to run down her face. _

_Suddenly, the coughing stopped and she smiled up at Daniel, but her smile wasn't right. It was different. Alarmed, Daniel asked "What?" _

_His heart sank at her response. "I'm not allowed to have chocolate before dinner". Then, she stopped moving and her eyes went blank. _

"_Charlotte" Daniel said, hoping that her silence was just temporary. "Charlotte" he whispered again, his voice beginning to break. "Charlotte" he repeated while shaking his head. As what had just transpired began to dawn on him, he whispered "No", grasped her hand, and began to cry._

Daniel didn't wait to hear their responses. Instead, he walked off into the trees, wanting to be alone. If he couldn't be with Charlotte, he didn't want to be with anyone.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still don't own Lost.

Chapter 2

Daniel hadn't traveled far before he sat down on a log. Even though he didn't want to be with anyone, he couldn't bear to leave Charlotte. Logically, he knew that it would eventually happen, but he wanted to have more time. He was shocked. Charlotte's death had pushed her revelation to the back of his mind, but talking about what happened brought it back. Somehow, he had a feeling. He had just known that Charlotte had been on the island before. It was why she had gotten a nosebleed before anyone else. He had no idea that she had spent the first few years of her life on the Island, though.

He had an urge to write it all down so he could make sense of it, but he had left his journal in his bag, which was still next to Charlotte. A rustling in the trees caught his attention, and Sawyer emerged carrying his bag.

"Hey Danny Boy, thought you might want this" he said, without his trademark smirk. "I figured if you were gonna go all Mr. Fix It on us, you'd need it"

"Thanks, Sawyer. But I'm not…leaving. Not right now. I - - I just need to sort through things for a bit" Dan said while reaching for his bag.

"Back up. You mean you're going to leave me, Mr. Miyagi, Genghis, and Juliet without your brain? You're the only one that knows what the hell is going on here! Son of a bitch!" Sawyer exclaimed. He dropped Daniel's bag, and then stormed off to where the rest of the group was waiting.

As soon as Sawyer was out of sight, Daniel dug out his journal, pen, and a flashlight and flipped to a semi-empty page. As soon as he switched on the flashlight, he began to write furiously, thoughts spilling straight to the page.

_Charlotte lived here. Is that why she was affected by the jumps so soon? I tried to stop her from returning, she told me, but I didn't go see her. Is it true, then? No matter what I do, she's going to die? I won't let that happen. I don't care if it's against the rules. I promised her that nothing would happen, and I'm going to save her. She said I scared her. That's the last thing I ever want to do, that and hurt her. I'm going to have to talk to her, maybe this time she'll remember in time so she won't come back. That means I won't ever meet her, but I don't care. I'd rather have her alive without knowing me, than dead with me mourning her. Since I'm going to see Charlotte as a child, that means that at some point her and her parents will be on the island when I am. Maybe I can befriend her father, and convince him to give her something, maybe jewelry, before she leaves here. She said she never saw her dad after she left. She'd want to hang on to one of the last things he gave her. If I succeed, maybe the item her dad gives her could become her constant. That way, the jumps wouldn't affect her at all. How else can I save her? Maybe I can destroy the wheel in the Orchid, that way the Island will never be moved. Or I can find a way to render it inert. Maybe encase it in concrete, like with the hydrogen bomb? Or, maybe I can somehow contact Desmond. Even if I can't change things, he can. I could find him, and have him give this to my younger self. Of course, I'd need to write a letter explaining who Charlotte is, and why it's so important for me to save her. _

He stared at what he had written, lost in his own thoughts. He had a semblance of a plan. The easiest one was befriending Charlotte's dad. The only flaw was that he didn't know what her dad looked like. He would try that one, first. If that didn't succeed, then he'd move on to the Orchid station. If that failed, then he'd find Desmond and recruit him. His mind feeling clearer than before, he put everything back in his bag and decided to return to the group. Maybe he could get one last glimpse of Charlotte before they moved on.

As he oriented himself, he realized that they had lit a fire, so he began to walk towards the flickering light. As he walked into the small clearing, everyone turned to look at him. Juliet, as normal, was the first to break the silence.

"Daniel, we decided to stay here for the night. We all need to rest and…" she trailed off, which caused Daniel to become suspicious.

"What else?" he questioned, still rather emotionlessly.

She looked away, and Miles broke in. "We decided to bury Charlotte". At his statement, Sawyer and Jin separated, revealing a hole that had been dug next to Charlotte's body.

Daniel nodded, the pain replacing the determination he felt while planning how to save her, and walked over to where Miles was sitting.

"You can communicate with people who have…have died…" he said softly, not wanting to get his hopes up.

"You want to know if I've talked to Charlotte" Miles replied, as if he had been expecting it.

"I - - I" Dan stuttered, then finally settled on "Yes"

"I heard a bit from her. Still as difficult as ever. She just wanted me to tell you something. She put something in your bag before she died. She wants you to find it, but she refused to tell me what it is."

Daniel began to dig through his bag, but before he could find it Juliet walked over. "We're ready to bury her. Would you like to say something?"

"What do you mean?" Daniel blinked and tilted his head, attempting to understand what Juliet meant.

"You knew her the best. I figured you'd like to speak, basically give the eulogy" Juliet responded gently.

"Oh. Ummm… ok, I guess" Juliet turned and walked towards the grave. Daniel followed her, and when they reached the area he knelt down by Charlotte's body.

Daniel looked up at everyone, and noticed they were watching him. "Can you give me a minute?"

Jin understood the pain in Daniel's voice, and he was the first to leave. The others followed. When they were on the opposite side of the fire, Daniel looked back at Charlotte. "Charlotte, I've said this before, but…I wanted to tell you again, in case I never get another chance. I - - I love you. So much. I tried…so hard to save you, and I'm not going to stop trying. The good thing about the time travel is that I have a chance to fix it. I will, I don't care how long it takes"

He stood up, and the four returned to his side. Sawyer, Miles, and Jin lifted Charlotte's body and placed it as gently as possible in the grave. Juliet nodded to Daniel, and he gulped before he began to speak.

"I'm not entirely sure what to say here. I - - I never thought she'd actually…die. She seemed too strong for that. A fighter. And she is…was. Out of everyone on the freighter, she was the only one who was nice to me. Everyone else steered clear from us. I was a…a nutcase. She was the bitch with a horrible attitude. I never saw her that way, though. She was nice and confident. Smart and…determined. Didn't care what anyone else thought. She's sarcastic, which I like…liked about her…instantly. When she realized I had…problems…with my memory, she began to work with me, trying to improve it. We were slowly making progress, before we came here. I…" and he stopped and walked away, tears streaming down his face.

Daniel walked straight to his bag, and began to search through it, trying to find what Charlotte had given him. After a few minutes, he found a small piece of paper, the edges torn as if it had been ripped off a larger sheet. Written there, in Charlotte's handwriting, were only a few sentences. He could almost hear Charlotte's voice, saying the words instead of just seeing them written

_Daniel,_

_First, I want to apologize, so here it is. I'm sorry. You're asleep now. I don't blame you, I should be sleeping too. Right now, we're on our way to the Orchid. I know I don't have much time left. There are a lot of things I've never told you as of right now, and one of them I probably never will. That's why I'm writing this. I was shocked when you admitted how you felt about me, and ever since things keep interfering, preventing me from telling you. I want you to know. You deserve to know. Daniel, I love you. Remember that._

Charlotte

That night, Daniel fell asleep by the fire, clutching Charlotte's note in his hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 3

Daniel was sitting near the dying fire, rereading Charlotte's letter for what felt like the millionth time, when he heard a familiar voice coming from behind him, calling his name. His heart skipped a beat when he realized he knew whose it was: Charlotte's. He wanted to turn around more than anything, but he felt that if he did, she would disappear.

"Daniel" she said again. Happiness filled every inch of his body. She was here, alive. He hadn't failed her after all. He heard movement, and then she sat down next to him. Still, he did not turn.

"Charlotte, you're…you're ok?" he asked, baffled as to how this could've happened.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she responded, sounding both confused and amused at the same time.

"I must've had the strangest dream. You…you had died. We buried you". Pain filled Daniel just remembering the dream.

He felt a hand cover his, and he chanced it enough to look down. He saw Charlotte's hand, just as he remembered it. Without thinking, he moved his hand to her wrist and took her pulse. It was there: perfectly strong. That was his final proof that she was here, right next to him. As he took her hand in his, his gaze slowly traveled up to her face, and his breath caught in his throat. Her face had color to it, and her blue eyes were once again alive, filled with multiple emotions that he was unable to determine. Her red hair was down, framing her face. He could barely breathe.

"Daniel, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost" Charlotte was obviously concerned.

He chuckled while saying "It feels like I have. The dream. It was so…realistic. You were dead, Charlotte. You died right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it"

Immediately, Charlotte let go of his hand. He looked back down, wondering why she had jerked away.

"You're right. It's your fault I'm gone" she spat out harshly. "Daniel, look at me. Now!"

Daniel looked up, taken aback that her demeanor had changed so quickly. His heart stopped beating. Her face was again deathly pale, and her blue eyes flat and emotionless. Blood was running down her face. "Charlotte, what…?"

"You said you'd make sure nothing happened to me. I thought you loved me. If you love someone, you do whatever you can for them. Why didn't you try harder to save me?" she shouted. Then, she collapsed on the sand, dead.

Daniel screamed "Charlotte! No! Not again!" He tried to run to her, but he was rooted to the ground. All he could do was scream helplessly.

Suddenly, he woke up. It took him a moment to gain his bearings, and he realized that it was just a nightmare. He gasped, and decided to take a walk before he woke up everyone else. It was early morning, barely dawn, and he knew they'd like to get more sleep if at all possible. He walked to the stream near their camp, intending to clean up a bit. In the stream, he caught his reflection and he could barely recognize the face looking back at him. His hair was in disarray, his face sunken. His eyes were bloodshot from the tears he had shed since Charlotte's death. They were filled with pain, but also determination, which resulted in a slightly crazed look.

After cleaning up, he returned to the camp and sat beside Charlotte's grave. He sat there until everyone else began to stir. Occasionally, he would read Charlotte's note. It was the closest he could get to her, and he refused to lose that connection. The others went along their morning routine, and Juliet handed him a mango and a bottle of water for his breakfast. He ate automatically, without anything registering. He was lost in his thoughts. Occasionally, he would glance up, as if expecting to see Charlotte emerge from the woods. After the camp was cleaned up, the group left, traveling to see if they could find their missing people or to discover when they were.

After a few hours of walking, Miles stopped suddenly, looking off to the right. Since he was in front, it stopped the rest of the group, and Sawyer walked right into him.

"Whoa, Genghis. Why'd you stop?" Sawyer said somewhat angrily.

"That's why" Miles replied, pointing. The rest of the group looked to where he pointed, and after a short debate it was decided that they would follow the tracks.

After another hour had passed, Juliet suddenly exclaimed "I know this path!"

"What do you mean?" Miles responded, and Daniel gave her a questioning look. Jin and Sawyer took notice of their surroundings for the first time since the tracks were discovered.

"This path leads to the barracks" Juliet began, but was interrupted by Sawyer.

"You mean the place where you lived with Ben and his guys?"

"Yeah, we must be here around the time the Dharma Initiative existed. If we keep following these tracks, we'll eventually find people" Juliet explained.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go" Sawyer called out, and continued forward.

"Wait" a hoarse voice interrupted. Everyone turned, and discovered Daniel had spoken. "If we go, we're going to need a plan. We can't just…walk in there unprepared. They're going to ask questions. Who we are. Where we're from. How we got here. How we knew each other. Maybe even what we do. They won't let us in without…trying to find out as much about us as they can"

"You have a plan, Dr. Wizard?" Sawyer spoke, annoyed that Daniel had interrupted his trek towards food and a bed. Daniel had fallen silent again, though, and shook his head.

He's right, Sawyer. If we tell the truth, they'll think we're insane. And that's best case scenario. How about we say that we were on a sailing expedition, and all of us were on vacation. We didn't know each other beforehand. Our boat fell apart during a strong storm, and we swam to shore. Dan, do you think we could still use our first names?"

"Huh? Oh…um, yeah. None of our names are…uncommon. It should be fine. And we can keep where we're from the truth as well" Daniel replied.

"OK. So, I will be Juliet Stevens. I could keep my job the same: doctor" Juliet thought aloud.

"No can do. Chick doctors aren't very common nowadays. Do you want to draw attention to yourself?" Sawyer chuckled.

"OK, what do you suggest?" Juliet asked, almost regretting asking.

"A nurse" Sawyer said, with a big smile on his face.

"Discarding all your perverted fantasies, that's actually a good idea" Juliet replied.

"I guess I'll go next. I'll be Sawyer Jones, and I'll be a…" he trailed off, not knowing what he should say.

"A construction worker. It fits. You don't seem intelligent enough to be anything of importance, and they won't trust you if you say you're a conman" Miles interjected. Sawyer glowered, but voiced no objections. "And I will be Miles Young, who is an…accountant"

Next was Daniel's turn. "Uhhh…Daniel Matthews, and I'll stick with being a physicist"

"Now, Mr. Miyagi, what are we going to do about you?" Sawyer asked Jin. Jin shot him a look, and Sawyer asked "You understand us?"

"Yes" Jin replied.

"So who do you want to be?" Juliet questioned.

"Jin Park. Businessman" Jin stated.

"All right team. Let's go" Sawyer said, and sauntered off.

Daniel began to follow, but he got the feeling that someone was watching him. He stopped and looked around, but no one was there. Sighing, he continued after the group, hoping that he'd be able to put his plan in motion soon. He wasn't sure how to act without Charlotte.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Lost.

Chapter 4

Daniel was distracted, so he did not realize they had arrived at the barracks until he almost walked into Sawyer. The only reason he didn't is because Jin reached out and stopped him in time. After gathering his bearings, he looked at what the rest of the group was staring at. There, directly in front of them, were the barracks. They looked as if they had just been recently built. There were many people moving about, and no one was paying them any attention. Suddenly, a man turned and looked directly at them.

"Son of a bitch" Sawyer whispered in shock.

"What is it now?" Miles asked dryly.

"That's the guy from the Dharma videos" Sawyer replied. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but he fell silent when the man began to approach them.

"Wow, someone can shut you up, Sawyer. I never thought I'd see the day" Juliet smirked.

"Shut up" Sawyer shot back.

The man approached the group, and surveyed them. "Hello, I am Dr. Pierre Chang. I have a feeling that we have a lot to discuss. Come with me" Without waiting for a response, Chang turned and walked away. The five exchanged glances, and continued after him. Daniel was looking at everything around him, searching for two things. He was trying to see what year it was, and he was also looking for a young Charlotte. He could not find either, and his heart sunk.

Chang led them to a clearing where no one was around. He gestured for them to sit, and then he sat as well. He surveyed them again and spoke. "Again, I am Dr. Pierre Chang. I am a scientist here. We are part of an organization known as the Dharma Initiative. We live here on this island so we can carry out our experiments without the influence of the outside world. Now, I would like to know who you are and how you got on this island"

Juliet spoke, jumping in before Sawyer could say a word. "We were on a sailing trip, and we got caught in a storm. Our boat broke apart, and we swam to shore. We decided to explore to see if we could find anyone to help us. We eventually came across tire tracks, and we decided to follow them. My name is Juliet Stevens"

Sawyer glanced at Juliet, annoyed that she had spoke before he could. "Name's Sawyer Jones"

Jin had been following the conversation intently. He spoke up hesitantly "I…Jin Park"

"He don't speak English too well" Sawyer said.

"Miles Young" Miles gave a short wave in greeting.

Chang turned towards Daniel. "And you?"

Daniel was pacing, studying his surroundings and not paying attention to the conversation. Sawyer sighed in frustration "Hey Danny Boy, the Doc here wants to know your name"

Daniel turned to everyone, startled. "Sorry. I was just…" he looked at everyone, and trailed off, not wanting to go into an in depth explanation. "Never mind. I'm Daniel Matthews"

"Where are you guys from? What do you do? Juliet?" Chang asked.

"I'm a nurse and I'm from Florida. Miami, specifically" Juliet responded calmly.

"Sawyer?" he question simply, not showing any emotion.

"I'm from all over. I'm a construction worker, so I go where I can find work" Sawyer drawled. He had made himself comfortable, leaning against a tree.

"What about you, Miles?" Chang turned his calm gaze towards Miles, catching him off guard.

"Oh. I'm an accountant, and I'm from California" Miles said quickly.

"All right. I'm guessing Jin's from…Korea?" Chang shot a questioning glance at Jin.

Jin nodded in response "Businessman"

"I'm from Massachusetts, and I'm a…physicist" he spoke, not meeting anyone's eye and pacing around the small clearing.

"We've noticed he don't have very good people skills" Sawyer said, studying Daniel as if he were expecting a reaction. He was disappointed. Daniel was ignoring what was going on around him.

Juliet sighed, shooting him a concerned glance. "Is there something wrong with him?" Chang asked quietly.

"I don't think so" Juliet responded, thinking quickly. "His girlfriend was on the boat with us, but we don't think she made it" She stuck to their story, but threw in enough truth so Daniel's actions would be easily explained.

Chang nodded. "I'm sure you all want to get home, but organizing ways off here are extremely difficult. Would you mind staying here for awhile until we decide what we should do?"

"Not at all, Doc" Sawyer chuckled. "I thought we wouldn't survive to see any sort of civilization, so seeing these houses makes me happy"

"We have a few empty houses. The five of you can stay in one of them. I'll take you there now, and I'll send someone to bring you food and clothes later on today. Follow me" Chang got up, and began to walk out of the clearing. Jin walked over to Daniel to gesture to him that they were leaving, and the group walked back into the sea of houses until Chang stopped at one near the edge of the community. "You can stay here. I will see you again when we have come to a decision about how we should deal with your situation" Chang let them in the house, and then left.

Sawyer immediately went to explore the rest of the house, and returned momentarily. "All right, here's the deal. There are three bedrooms and one bathroom. How should we do the sleeping thing?"

"How many beds in each room?" Miles asked.

"One room has one, the other has two" Sawyer replied.

Juliet jumped into the conversation "I can have the room with one bed. You guys can decide who's sharing with who"

Sawyer smirked. "I'll take Jinbo. Genghis and Whiz Kid can have the other"

Later, Jin, Sawyer, Juliet, and Miles were sitting in the kitchen, sorting through everything that a woman had just dropped off for them. Daniel was sitting in the living room, reading Charlotte's letter for what seemed like the hundredth time. It was recently written, but it looked worn already. After he finished reading, he looked at the sea of houses surrounding him. Charlotte hadn't even been born yet. He had gotten the date from the woman who had visited. It was April 2, 1979. She would not be born for another three months. He knew, though, that she had spent the first few years of her life here, and that she had lived in one of the houses that he had seen. Daniel shook his head, and decided to join everyone in the kitchen. He was almost at the doorway when he heard his name.

"I'm really worried about Daniel" Juliet sighed, setting down something.

"He'll be fine" Sawyer said. "All we have to do is give him a decent puzzle to solve and he'll be as good as new in no time"

"I don't think it's that simple, Sawyer" Miles added his opinion. "He loved her"

"What?" Sawyer and Juliet said together.

"He loved her. He told that Richard guy when he asked how he could be sure Daniel wouldn't blow up the Island. At first, I thought that he was lying. Charlotte did, too. After he left, he told Charlotte that he meant it. Daniel was never able to lie to her" Miles said.

"Well, if he loved her then he might just jump into Crazytown" Sawyer responded.

"You mean have a breakdown?" Juliet asked, obviously concerned.

"Yeah. He wasn't very stable to begin with…" Sawyer responded. Daniel had heard enough, and walked away.

The next morning, Pierre Chang knocked on the door. Once everyone had gathered in the living room, he began to speak. "Hello. I trust your first night here was satisfactory" The five nodded, and he continued. "Now, if it is all right with you we would like to employ you here for an indefinite amount of time. We have a need for someone experienced in healthcare. We have a doctor, but he needs help. There are too many people here for one person to be able to attend to them all. Juliet, since you're a nurse, we could definitely use you. Daniel, you are a physicist. We have recently discovered something that might be of great interest to you. Jin and Sawyer, you could help with the construction that is going on here. We are building research stations, and we could always use extra help. Miles, since you're an accountant you can help keep track of our finances. Would you like to stay here?"

The group exchanged glances, then nodded.

"Ok, you will all start your jobs next week, except for Jin. Jin, we are bringing a person here to teach you how to speak English. She will be here next week as well. Do you understand?"Chang asked.

Jin nodded "Yes".

A week had passed. The people were all given time off to welcome the new recruits. Daniel was standing with the rest of his group, but he was not paying attention to their conversation. Lately, this was normal for him. In the group of new arrivals, he spotted a woman with long red hair before he turned away, not wanting another reminder of Charlotte. He tried to pay attention the conversation that the others were having, but coming in during the middle of it made things difficult.

A man named Horace Goodspeed walked over to the group with two people following him. One was the red-haired woman, and the other was a man. Both looked vaguely familiar. The woman was visibly pregnant.

Horace greeted the group, and then began introductions. "Everyone, this is James and Jeanette Staples. Jin, Jeanette is going to be responsible for teaching you English"

With those words, Daniel's earlier assumptions were confirmed. He knew why they looked familiar. The man and woman were Charlotte's parents, and he was willing to bet anything that in a few short months they'd have a little girl named Charlotte.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Lost.

Chapter 5

The realization was too much for him to handle. He began to stutter unintelligibly, and he slowly backed up. As soon as he broke away from the group, he took off running. By the time he reached the house, he was gasping. He collapsed on the couch, breathing heavily and wondering why he ran. He wanted to warn her parents, and this was a perfect opportunity. Instead of attempting to get along with her parents so they would trust him, he ran and now they must think he's a nutcase.

Miles barreled in the door. "What is wrong with you?" he spat as soon as he spotted Daniel. "I convinced Juliet, Jin, and Sawyer that they should stay, and I'd see what was wrong. Even those two people are concerned. They…Dan, you look terrible"

"They're Charlotte's parents" he said simply, and looked at Miles.

"How do you know? The woman had red hair. It's not very common, I'll give you that, but…" he trailed off as Daniel shook his head.

"No. Jeanette and James Staples. Staples is Charlotte's…middle name. Charlotte was born here, and she left with her mother only. Her father stayed here. Chances are he died. If that happened, then…her mother got remarried. Charlotte has two sisters. Her…step-father probably adopted her...and they legally changed her last name to her middle name. That explains everything" Daniel explained.

"That makes sense, but they didn't have a kid with them" Miles said, attempting to shoot down Daniel's theory.

"That's because Charlotte hasn't been born yet. It's April 9, 1979. She was born on…July 2, 1979. That's…three months from now. Jeanette Staples seemed to - -to be around…6 months pregnant" Daniel sighed, and sat up.

"So then in three months…" Miles trailed off and sat next to Dan.

"Charlotte will be born. If there are no more flashes, then we'll…we'll see her as a child"

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, and then Daniel got up and left without a word.

The next day, Daniel asked around and discovered where James and Jeanette are living. Their house is located on the opposite side of the community of Daniel's, and for that he was grateful. He wasn't sure if he could handle seeing the woman he loved, the woman he watched die, as a baby.

He hesitated in front of their door, knowing that he needed to make things right if he wanted to save Charlotte's life. Gathering his courage, he knocked. After a few moments, he found himself face to face with Charlotte's father.

He stammered a few times rather incoherently, swallowed, and spoke. "James Staples?"

"Yes?" the man replied.

"Hello. I'm Daniel…Matthews. I kind of met you yesterday, but I left be - -before we were formally introduced. I wanted to…apologize…for leaving" Daniel said, his eyes darting nervously.

"It's nice to meet you, Daniel. I was actually going to try to find you today. Come in" James stated, and moved out of the door to allow Daniel to enter.

"Me? Why me?" Daniel asked as he walked in the house.

"Because I met with Dr. Chang yesterday evening, and he told me I'd be working with you" James answered, walking to the kitchen and sitting down.

"Oh. So, you're a…physicist as well?" Daniel asked, genuinely curious, as he sat on another chair.

"Yes. I worked at Oxford, as a professor, before Dharma recruited me two months ago. It took some time to convince my wife. She didn't want to give birth on an island where there were no hospitals, but I eventually talked her into it. I was never one for teaching, so when this opportunity came I really wanted to take it. This opportunity, the chance to work on my research without any other commitments, it was a dream come true for me" James spoke excitedly. "What brought you here?"

"I came here by accident, actually. The story is a little too "Gilligan's Island" for me" Daniel stated.

"I'd still like to hear it, if you don't mind" James pressed for more information.

"I was on vacation with my girlfriend" he said, remembering what Juliet had said to Chang. They thought he wasn't paying attention, but he was. "And she wanted to go on a sailboat for a few hours. Neither…of us knew how to sail, so…we went on a scheduled ride with a - -a small group of people. I'm not sure how…long we were out, but a storm hit. The boat, the waves knocked it apart, and we all… landed in the ocean. I tried to stay with her, but we got separated near the end of the storm. When it was over, I couldn't find her anywhere" Daniel's voice broke, remembering Charlotte's death, not the death they made up to support their story. "We swam to shore, and…spent a day waiting for anyone else to - - to come, but no one else did"

"Daniel, I'm sorry for your loss" James spoke after a minute or two of silence.

"Thank…thank you" Daniel said softly. He waited a little longer before speaking again. "How far along is your wife?"

"Six months" James replied, chuckling. "She's already wanting the baby out now. She said she can't imagine lugging around that extra weight for the next three months"

Daniel smiled softly and stood. "Well, I better get going. I guess I'll…see you at work"

James stood up and walked him to the door. "Yeah. I'm glad I got to meet you before we started to work together"

Daniel waved and walked back to his house.

Soon, three months had passed and it was July 2, 1979 – the day Charlotte would be born. Jeanette Staples was already in labor. He had known because James had been called to the medical station. The doctor was out treating a man who had been seriously injured during the construction of The Orchid yesterday. He had been using a jackhammer, and he got careless. That meant Juliet would be delivering Charlotte, which Daniel had a difficult time wrapping his mind around.

Since James was in the medical station, Daniel decided to visit the Orchid. He greeted a few men, and nodded to Sawyer and Miles when he saw them. Sawyer sauntered over to Daniel.

"Hey Danny Boy, what are you doing here?" Sawyer asked.

"I'm just here to…see how everything's going" Daniel replied. "Jeanette's in labor, so James isn't in today"

"Aren't you lucky? Since you're here, mind taking this down to where they're blasting away more rock?" Sawyer said, while handing Daniel a tank.

"All right" Daniel sighed. He dressed in a uniform intended for those going further into The Orchid, grabbed a hard hat, picked up the tank, and left. On his way down, he bumped into Chang, who was rushing back to the upper level. Daniel kept his head angled, hoping Chang wouldn't see him and ask what he was doing. Thankfully, Chang was too distracted to notice much of anything.

"Watch yourself!" Chang shouted.

Daniel, still hiding his face, replied with "Sorry, sir. It won't happen again" He then continued on his way, and set the tank down at his destination. He studied the young man on the stretcher, blood running down his face and he felt his heart stop. It was starting. Daniel realized he needed to study the wheel to try to find a way to stop it. The only way he could get to it, though, was by blasting away the rock surrounding it. Daniel watched as the medics carried the man out of the station, and then turned as someone addressed him.

"Did you hear that? Time travel. How stupid does that guy think we are?" the foreman asked Daniel.

Daniel nodded in response rather distractedly, as he was still staring at the wall. The foreman walked away, leaving Daniel alone. Daniel told himself he'd come back that night and blast away the rock. Then, he left The Orchid in order to prepare.

He snuck out of the house after everyone else was asleep, feeling as if he were a teenager. He had his bag with him, filled with things he could use to blast the rock away. Once he arrived at The Orchid, he rode the elevator to the bottom of the station, where the rock wall was. After setting up the explosives down, he created a long fuse and hid behind a large piece of metal positioned near the elevator so he would be protected from both the blast and whatever the blast released. He lit the fuse, and waited for the explosion.

Soon, the room filled with light and the blast was practically deafening. The explosion was larger than it should've been, so Daniel decided to get out of there before people were sent to check out the noise. He rode the elevator up, and then took off running back to his house.

He snuck into his room, relieved that Miles was a heavy sleeper, and set his bag down. He settled into bed, but remained awake for an extended amount of time. He realized what had just happened. He was the cause of The Incident. His curiosity, his desire to save Charlotte, is what caused her death in the first place. He was the one who released the electromagnetism and radiation. He let out a broken sob, realizing that this was something else he'd have to fix. Indirectly, he killed the woman he loved.

Morning, which Daniel was dreading, came much too quickly. He didn't want to know what the results of his blast were, how many deaths he was responsible for. Everyone was discussing it when he met up with James, and they arrived at their small lab.

"How's your wife doing?" Daniel asked.

"She's doing really well, and our daughter is perfect" James replied. He was the happiest Daniel had seen him.

"What's her name?" Even though Daniel knew the answer, he knew he should ask.

"Charlotte. Charlotte Elizabeth Staples" James replied. They worked in silence for a few minutes, and then James spoke.

"Any idea what happened last night? There was a really loud noise, almost like something was getting blown up" James theorized.

"I - -I have no idea" Daniel replied. "I hope it wasn't…anything serious"

"Whatever it was, we'll find out soon enough. Things don't really stay a secret here for long" James said, and Daniel nodded in response.

After lunch, Pierre Chang walked into the lab. "Hello, Daniel, James" he greeted them.

"Hi Dr. Chang" James said in response. Daniel was absorbed in his work, and didn't look up until James spoke. When he spotted Dr. Chang, he began to fidget nervously.

"I am sure you heard the explosion last night" the two nodded and Chang continued "I sent a team of men to investigate, and it was reported that a rock wall in the Orchid was blown up last night. The culprit left before we could catch whoever it was. The men that I had sent to investigate, they are all dead. Before their deaths, they reported that they had detected extremely large amounts of electromagnetism and radiation. I would like the two of you to find a way to control the energy, how it is released, before more people can be affected by this. Can you do that?"

"We…can try" Daniel replied.

"Good. Also, I would like this to be kept confidential" Chang spoke. "Can you do that?"

The two nodded again. "Here is all the information my team gathered. Hopefully this will help you. Let me know when you figure out a way to fix things" Chang said, and then left.

James and Daniel looked at each other. "Ok" James said. "Let's get to work"

Two weeks had passed, with James and Daniel working frantically. People were beginning to become affected by what had been released. They had seen multiple people having nosebleeds, Sawyer, Juliet, Miles, and Jin included. They were more worried than everyone else, because they knew what the nosebleeds could lead to. Still, Daniel kept silent and spent most of his time at the lab. At the end of the two weeks, they had found a way to fix things, so they called Chang and asked him to come to the lab.

Chang sat quietly, and listened to the solution James and Daniel proposed. They had decided to convert The Swan, and use it to disperse safe amounts of the electromagnetism and radiation into the atmosphere. They went into an in-depth explanation, and Chang approved it and said that the work would begin immediately.

Later that day, Daniel found a journal that looked like an identical copy to his own, and he took it back to his house on impulse. For a week, he stayed up late into the night transferring everything from one journal to the other. Everything that had happened recently, Daniel also added into both journals. When everything was copied, exactly how it was written the original, he sat down to write a letter to himself, explaining the journal and why it is important.

The next morning, Daniel approached Chang. "Dr. Chang, can I talk to you?"

"Only for a little bit. I'm extremely busy" Chang replied. "What do you want?"

"I was wondering if I could go visit my mother. She hasn't…had any contact with me since I came here, and she probably - - probably thinks I'm dead" Daniel said hesitantly.

"She lives in Massachusetts?" Chang asked.

"Yes" Daniel wasn't sure why Chang wanted to know.

"You can go if you can be ready to leave in two days. You will be leaving on a submarine, so you will need to be at the docks by 12 PM. You can have two weeks in America, but then you will need to return to where you were dropped off. We are making a supply run, so your request came at a good time" Chang informed Daniel.

"I'll be ready. Thank you" Daniel replied.

Two days later, Daniel was on the submarine on his way to LA. From there, he would fly to Massachusetts. Daniel had informed Chang that his ID was lost when the boat broke apart, so Chang easily supplied him with a new one, along with enough money for the trip. He had not told Jin, Juliet, Sawyer, and Miles that he was leaving. He did not want them to know what he was attempting to do. He knew they'd be worried when they found him gone, but he had two weeks to figure out what to say to them.

After the submarine docked in LA, Daniel caught a taxi and went straight to the airport. He bought a ticket for a flight that was leaving later that day, and proceeded to find some food while waiting. His flight was uneventful, but he marveled at how different airplane travel was in 1979 than what he was used to. When the plane landed, he caught another taxi which took him to his childhood home. He deliberately had chosen to arrive at a time when he knew his mother was home, but when he was in school. Even though he was attempting to change what was going to happen, his younger self seeing him could have disastrous consequences.

After paying the driver, he walked with determination to the front door and knocked. The woman that opened it gasped when she saw him. "The last time I saw you, it was 1954. You show up at my house twenty-five years later, looking the same as you did then. Who are you?"

"I'd like to tell you, but I - -I can't. I can't tell you anymore than…I already did. I need you to do something…for me, though" Daniel spoke, hoping she'd do what he asked.

"What is so important for me to do?" his mother asked, obviously on her guard.

"I - -I need you to - -to give something to your son for me…when he turns eighteen. It's extremely important that you…give him it" Daniel replied, unsure of what would work to get his mother to agree.

"What is it?" she was obviously not going to make this easy.

He held up the notebook and said "You can read it if you want. It's of the upmost importance that your son receives this, though"

"Is this something to do with something that'll happen in the future?" she asked, obviously intrigued.

"Yes. The only thing I'll ask you to not read is the letter that is addressed to your son. It's just saying everything that I told you" Daniel explained. "Can I ask you to do that?"

"Yes, and I'll give it to Daniel, but only if I think it's not dangerous for him" his mother attempted to reason with him.

"That's all I'm asking you to do" Daniel replied. He then thanked her for her time, and left.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Lost.

A/N: I just want to thank everyone for the reviews and support.

Chapter 6

As Daniel sat on the submarine traveling back to the Island, he thought about why he had decided to give the journal to his younger self before he warned Charlotte and her family. He knew that learning he was the cause of The Incident is what set off this chain of events. Sighing, he fell asleep for the last few hours of the trip.

He climbed out of the submarine, walking in the forest instead of on the path leading to the community. He didn't want to be seen just yet. When he reached the edge of the community, he snuck in, sticking to the perimeter as much as possible before reaching his house. He walked in, and found himself face to face with Jin, Juliet, Sawyer, and Miles.

Miles was the first to speak. "Daniel, where the hell have you been?"

"I went on - - on a supply run" he replied.

"Think again, Whiz Kid. Supply runs don't take three months" Sawyer said. "Now let's try again. Where the hell have you been?"

"I went with the…group that did the supply run. We couldn't have been gone for three months. The trip on the submarine took two days, each way, and we were only on land for two weeks. It couldn't have…wait. Three months?" Daniel began to pace. "That's definitely…not good".

"What's not good?" Jin asked.

"Well," Daniel began to explain, then stopped. "Wait, Jin, you understood…everything? And you can speak English?"

"Yes. Jeanette says I'm almost fluent, now. She was given a different assignment. She's now a teacher at the school" Jin replied.

"That's - -that's great" Daniel congratulated Jin, while slowly backing out of the room.

"Daniel" Juliet's voice was unnervingly calm. "Explain what you meant by the time thing not being good"

"Ok" Daniel sighed, sitting down on a chair closest to the door. "When I first came to this Island, I decided to do an experiment. I asked a woman on…the freighter, Regina, to fire a - -a payload, a rocket. It didn't show up until…until after a…significant amount of time passed. Thirty-one minutes, actually. In the time we've been here, no one's mentioned a…discrepancy between time here and time in other places. This means that the - -The Incident is probably what caused it"

"So you mean time here's screwed up all over again" Sawyer said. "Does that mean we're gonna do some more time-hopping? I finally got used to this time"

"I highly doubt it, unless someone does something to cause the Island to…move again" Daniel replied. He surveyed the group, and then left the room, walking to his room in order to take a nap.

The next day, Daniel returned to work in the lab. "Hi James" he greeted as he walked in.

"Daniel, hey, I wasn't sure when I'd see you again. Chang said that you left for a bit" James said smiling. "How was your trip?"

"It was all right. I went to see my - - my mother. I wanted to…let her know that I'm ok" Daniel glanced around before continuing. "What's been going on around here?"

"The Swan's been successfully converted, and everyone's fine now. A lot more people died before it happened, though. Mainly the people working closest to The Orchid. A few kids died, too. Charlotte was almost one of them. She was getting nosebleeds, and they were becoming more severe, but thankfully everything was fixed before anything else happened" James sighed.

Fear grew inside Daniel, and he realized that he almost caused her death before she could even live off the Island. He calmed down though once he reminded himself that James said she was fine now. "How is she doing? And Jeanette? I heard she's teaching now, since Jin's - - speaking English rather well"

"Charlotte's perfectly healthy. It's a miracle. Jeanette was pretty much terrified, and she really enjoys teaching. Jin still stops in and says hi. I have a feeling that he's going to try to teach Charlotte Korean when she's old enough to learn" James chuckled at the thought, and Daniel was struck remembering the moment he learned Charlotte could speak Korean, he chuckled remembering what he asked her after the revelation.

_"So," Daniel asked Charlotte "You speak any other languages?"_

_"Just Klingon" Charlotte replied. He wanted to laugh, but he realized that that moment was not the time. _

After their workday ended, he was walking with the rest of his housemates when they saw a familiar figure in the distance. "Son of a bitch" Sawyer breathed.

"What it is?" Juliet asked.

"See that guy?" Sawyer nodded in his direction.

"Yeah, what about…" Juliet trailed off as she got a closer look. "Oh no"

"What?" Miles asked impatiently.

"It's Benjamin Linus" Sawyer spat out his name.

"Excuse me" Juliet said, staring at his figure. "I'm just going to do something that I've wanted to do for a very long time" Without waiting for a response, she stalked towards him.

"Jul - -Juliet, no. we have to make sure he doesn't…recognize us. We don't want to - -to interfere any more than we…already have" As Daniel spoke, he moved in front of her, blocking her path. By then, Sawyer, Miles, and Jin caught on to what she was going to do. Sawyer and Miles both grabbed her arms, and Jin moved to stand next to Daniel. Juliet glared, but made no effort to get away. "We should go home" Daniel stated. The others agreed, and they set off to their house.

Three years passed peacefully, with no disturbances. Everyone settled into their new routines, and periodically new recruits were brought to the Island. During this time, Daniel became a close friend of James, but he had only seen Charlotte a handful of times. Jeanette was an acquaintance of his, at best. He did not want to see Charlotte very often, as the pain was too much for him. Jin had visited Charlotte and her parents a lot, along with Juliet. He learned from them that Charlotte was learning Korean and Latin, and she was picking up on both languages rather easily.

After the peaceful three years, the community began to be terrorized. The older DI members referred to them as the Hostiles. When the attacks by the Hostiles began again, people began to get nervous. The community was getting raided. During some raids, only supplies were taken. During others, people disappeared. During every raid, people were injured. Some were even killed. The families with young children were the first to scramble to find a way to leave. Charlotte's parents were among those families.

They had managed to secure a place on the submarine, scheduled for a month after Charlotte's fourth birthday. Two weeks before her birthday, Daniel finally found his opportunity to talk to James.

"James, I - -I heard you're leaving soon" Daniel stated, while they were in the lab one day.

James was quiet for a significant amount of time. "Not exactly" he finally said. "I told Jeanette earlier today, so there's no point keeping it quiet anymore. I found a way for Jeanette and Charlotte to leave, but there wasn't enough room for me. They're leaving, but I'm not. Charlotte doesn't deserve to grow up here, with this going on. I told Jeanette I'd do whatever it took to get her and Charlotte away from here, and that's what I did"

Daniel, realizing this was his opportunity, took his time before he spoke. "You know that…this is the beginning of a war. There's a very large chance you'll…never see either of them again"

"I know, but what else can I do?" James sighed. It appeared that this was something that he had been wrestling with for a long time.

"Charlotte's birthday is coming up, right?" Daniel looked at James, who nodded in response. "You should…give her something special, in case you - -you don't see her again. Something to remind her of you" Daniel watched as James got an idea. He sat up straighter, and a small smile had appeared on his face. Daniel decided to press for more information. "Do you…have something in mind?"

"Yeah. Dan, you're a genius. There's a necklace, a locket actually, that's been in my family for a long time. My mother gave it to me when I got married, and told me to give it to my oldest daughter when she turns eighteen. It's perfect, and Charlotte will love it" James said excitedly.

Daniel smiled as well. If everything goes according to plan, Charlotte will recieve her constant in two weeks.

A week after his talk with James, he saw Charlotte on the sidewalk near his house. She was jumping rope. He stopped, and realized that this was his opportunity to warn Charlotte. He walked over to her, and kneeled so he'd be closer to her height.

"Hello, Charlotte" he said as kindly as he could, but his voice was shaking.

She looked at him curiously before a smile formed on her face. "Hi"

"Charlotte, I need to tell you something very important" he said, trying his best to not scare her.

"Is it about me going away for a bit? I know that" she said with a 'duh' tone of voice. Daniel smiled softly. No matter how old she was, she was still the same Charlotte he knew.

"It has something to do with that" Daniel sighed before continuing, looking at the smile that was still on her face. "Charlotte, when you leave, you won't be able to come back"

Her smile immediately disappeared. "What do you mean?" she asked in a small voice, and he realized that she was about to cry.

"Charlotte, if you ever come back here, you're going to die" Daniel said quietly and seriously.

She burst into tears. "I don't…I don't wanna die" she sniffed loudly. "But I wanna come back"

"Charlotte, you can't. Don't ever come back here. Please listen to me" Daniel said intently.

"NO! I don't believe you" she looked terrified. "Go away!" She turned and ran home, tears still running down her face. Daniel stood and walked home dejectedly, in pain from hurting Charlotte.

Daniel did not see Charlotte again until the day she left with her mother. James never talked to him about upsetting Charlotte, so he assumed that she didn't tell anyone what he said to her. Daniel was standing with Jin, Juliet, Sawyer, and Miles. They had all said their goodbyes to the people leaving, so they stood back, observing everything that was occurring around them. His attention was drawn to Charlotte, who was clinging to her father. He set her down on the dock, and Daniel caught a glimpse of the necklace she was wearing. She had not been wearing it the last time he saw her. The next thing he noticed was that she was crying.

Charlotte's upset voice carried over the quiet conversations taking place around them. "Why can't daddy come with us? He has to come. Daddy, please!" Her mother picked her up, and carried her into the submarine. As the two moved further away, she began to scream in Korean and Latin. From the expressions on Jin and Juliet's faces, it was obvious she was insulting her mother, but what she said in Korean appeared to be drastically different from what she said in Latin. After the submarine sank beneath the water, the group dispersed.

Daniel looked at Juliet and Jin. "What was Charlotte saying?"

Jin chuckled. "She called her mom a stupid meanie and a jerk" Daniel laughed.

Juliet's face was grim. "She also said that she hated her mom for making James stay behind"

Daniel sighed, and stared out into the open ocean, hoping that he had managed to fix things.

* * *

A/N: There's still more to come. This isn't the end.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Lost.

Chapter 7

It was Daniel's eighteenth birthday, but it didn't really matter to him. He had a presentation due the next day for school, so that was his main focus. He had never been good in front of large groups of people, so presentations made him extremely nervous. He had already gotten his gifts from his mother, and he had no other family members, so he was not expecting anything else. He was interrupted from his work by his mother entering his room.

"Daniel" she said in her prominent accent. Even after living in America all this time, she had not lost it. It was one of the many things that separated him from everyone else in his neighborhood.

"Hi, mom. Is this important? Because…I've got this presentation tomorrow" he spoke exasperatedly.

"Actually, it is" Eloise Hawking replied. It shocked Daniel, and he put down his work and turned to look at her. "I have something else for you"

"Can it wait?" Daniel asked, attempting to return to his work.

"No" Mrs. Hawking sighed and continued. "When you were five, a man came to visit me while you were at school. I had seen him once before, when I was a teenager. Twenty-five years had passed, yet he had not aged a day. The first time I saw him, he told me that he was from the future. I didn't believe him then. I believed him the second time I saw him, though. He gave me something, and told me to give it to you on your 18th birthday. I took the object, but I debated about giving it to you for years. Eventually, I realized that you were supposed to receive it. That is why he wanted me to give it to you" She paused in her story to hand him a journal. "This is what he gave me. He said there's a letter in there for you. Hopefully it will give you answers"

Daniel stared at the book in his hands, and didn't even notice when his mother left the room. Once his curiosity got the best of him, he opened it and a folded piece of paper fell out. He opened it, and the first thing he noticed was it was written in his own handwriting.

_Daniel,_

_I'm not supposed to do this, but I don't care about the rules pertaining to time travel anymore. I am you, only I am eleven years older than you are now. The journal you have just received is mine. I wrote it throughout my lifetime. It has a variety of information in it: my experiments, things that happened to me, and people that are important to me. I cannot change my past, but I may be able to indirectly change someone's future. I've already attempted to change what became my biggest regret. I think I succeeded, but I am not sure. If I haven't, then it's up to you. My biggest regret is simple to understand, I believe. A few months ago, I met a woman named Charlotte Lewis. She's beautiful, intelligent, sarcastic, friendly, funny, helpful, and tough. She is fiercely independent, and stubborn. I fell in love with her. I met her on an expedition. I am sure your mother told you about time travel. That is what killed her. The place where we traveled to, an island, is a place where normal rules do not apply. Something happened, and it caused the island or the people on it to travel through time. I'm not sure which. Charlotte died because of this, from what appeared to be a brain aneurysm. She was only twenty-five. I go more in-depth about this in the journal, but I feel you should know the basics. I promised her I'd save her, that nothing would happen to her. I failed her, and I refuse to let it happen again. When I found myself in 1979, I realized that I could change everything. I hope I succeeded. _

Daniel was obviously confused about the letter. Despite his confusion, he pushed aside his homework, opened the journal, and began to read. He read the journal practically nonstop, and was barely aware of anything happening around him when he could not read it. His head was swimming with everything he had discovered. There were places where the writing was faded, including a point where he could no longer read what he assumed were rather important numbers, if the lines underneath them were any indication. He realized that he must wait to find out, though. He was still skeptical about time travel, but the journal did make him believe that it could be possible.

**Four Years Later**

Daniel had just gotten a teaching position as a physics professor at Oxford University_, _but already his colleagues knew about his feelings on time travel, and they treated him cautiously, as if he was strange. He was used to it, though. He had been treated that way for years. Although he would be teaching at Oxford, he would also be working on his doctorate. His mother had traveled to England with him, but settled in a different area.

He had been there for only a couple weeks, and while he was running late for a class that he was supposed to teach, he literally ran into a girl.

"I'm …so - -so sorry" he stuttered because he was so nervous. "Are - -are you okay?"

"I'm fine" the girl replied in a clear British accent, standing up. He took a good look at her. She couldn't have been more than seventeen. She had red hair, and clear blue eyes. She was also wearing a necklace that looked like the one that was described in the journal. His heart skipped a beat. Could this be Charlotte? He almost didn't notice when she continued speaking. "Maybe this is a clue saying I shouldn't go to school here, if random people will run me over"

"Despite what you may think, that doesn't…happen very of - -often here" Daniel smiled.

"Still, maybe I should think this place through more" she replied, dusting off her jacket.

Daniel was thinking of something else to say, when a woman came rushing over. "Charlotte, where were you? You were right behind me, and then you disappeared" Daniel felt a sense of elation. The girl's name was Charlotte.

Charlotte muttered something in what sounded like Latin, rolled her eyes, and looked at her mother. "I'm fine, mum. I tripped, and this man helped me up. That's all" she insisted in an annoyed tone of voice. Daniel looked at the woman, and he realized that the girl had to be Charlotte. The mother looked just as she was described in the journal.

Charlotte's mother looked at Daniel, and then did a double take, as if he had looked vaguely familiar to her. She studied him, and then shook her head. "We've got to get going, Charlotte. We're supposed to meet up with your father and sisters soon"

"Can you give me a minute?" Charlotte asked.

Her mother sighed. "Fine. I'll be waiting over there"

Once she was far enough away, Daniel spoke. "Why didn't you tell her I ran into you?"

"It wasn't important. Besides, I like making her think I'm a klutz. Her disappointed face makes me want to laugh" Charlotte replied, and she began to play with her necklace. "I've got to get going, but it was nice talking to you"

"Bye. Maybe - -Maybe I'll see you around" Daniel looked at his watch. Even though he was going to show up almost fifteen minutes late, he was in a surprisingly good mood. He met the girl that he would eventually fall in love with. This was his first indication that the writer of the journal was telling the truth. Now, he just had to wait and see what else would come his way.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Lost.

A/N: I almost didn't get to update. I turned on my laptop this morning, and I saw that I had the "blue screen of death". Thankfully, I managed to fix it. I got most of the dialogue for this chapter from "The Constant". I used it because I feel that this encounter is an important part of Daniel's life.

Chapter 8

A few months after he had run into Charlotte, Daniel was trying to explain what a student had done wrong in a lab report, but he didn't think he was doing a very good job. Daniel began to get frustrated. "And I'm not impressed. Go - - go try again" The student walked away looking even more confused and frustrated, and Daniel sighed in defeat, picked up his briefcase, and walked away.

Daniel saw a man studying him, but he didn't think anything of it until the man spoke. " Ummm, sorry. Are you Daniel Faraday?"

Daniel stared at the man, wondering if he had seen him before. "You are?" Daniel had an appointment he needed to get to, and he was trying to think of a way to get rid of the man.

The man stuttered as he continued speaking. "Um...sorry, I'm Desmond Hume, and um...I was told I could find you here. I think I've...just been to the future"

All Daniel's thoughts about the appointment flew out of his mind, and he focused on the end of Desmond's sentence. He believed he traveled through time? This had to be a joke. "The future?"

Desmond looked hopeful, as if someone believed him. He continued to speak. "Yes. Uh, I spoke to you there. You told me to come here, to Oxford, to find you. You said you'd help me."

As Desmond spoke, Daniel looked around to see if anyone was paying them a significant amount of attention. He began to become annoyed. When would his colleagues end with these jokes? He never fell for one before. Why would he fall for one now? "Why didn't I just help you there, in the future?"

Desmond looked a bit puzzled. "Sorry?"

Seeing an opportunity, Daniel continued. "Why would I put you through the headache of time travel, you know…you know what I mean? It just seems a little…unnecessary. And don't you think that my esteemed colleagues could have come up with something just a little more believable, huh?" He began to walk away. "Wh - -what kind of a prank is that?" He chuckled before continuing. "Time paradox. So uninspired" He walked away, feeling dejected. Would no one ever take him seriously?

Desmond spoke again but Daniel continued walking. "Set your device to…um…2.342 and make sure it oscillates at eleven"

Daniel froze, and slowly turned. He thought that those were the numbers that were missing from his journal. It was the last set of numbers that he had yet to try. "Okay, now you…you're going to tell me who told you those numbers"

Desmond still stuck to his story. "You did"

This man, whoever he was, must've somehow found the journal and read it. That is the only way he'd have any idea. "This is ridiculous"

Then, Desmond said something that made Daniel finally believe he had been to the future. "I know about Eloise"

Daniel froze for a second. No one could know about Eloise. He had not written it anywhere, and he did not tell anyone about her. He began to talk quickly and quietly. "Follow me. Right now. Do not say anything until we reach where I'm taking you"

"Where are we going?" Desmond asked. Daniel didn't respond, and instead began to rush away. Desmond followed. Daniel went to a door that was partially hidden by shadows, opened it, and walked up the steps, Desmond following helplessly. They arrived at the top of the steps in a practically deserted hallway, and Daniel walked in one of the doors.

As soon as they were both inside with the door shut, Desmond spoke again after taking in his surroundings. "What…what is all this?"

Daniel was elated. Someone finally believed him. "This is where I do the things Oxford frowns upon" He was sure Desmond was waiting for elaboration, but Daniel had more pressing questions to ask. "Alright, this, this future version of me...uh, he - he referenced this meeting, right? Obviously so…so I would remember you coming to Oxford, right? I would remember this, here, right now" Daniel did need clarification, he was just thinking out loud while setting up his device.

Desmond interrupted his thought process. "Actually, um…no"

"No" Daniel repeated, and stopped what he was doing.

Desmond must have picked up on Daniel's confusion, and tried to alleviate it. "Maybe you just forgot"

Forget? How could Daniel forget the day he realized time travel was possible? The day that someone flat out stood in front of him and told him? "Yeah, right. How would that happen?"

Desmond was confused, then. "So this - -this is changing the future?" Daniel grabbed the vest he used to protect himself from radiation.

"You can't change the future" Daniel immediately shot back at Desmond's comment.

Desmond finally noticed the vest. "What's that for?"

"Radiation" Daniel was distracted. He was about to see something incredible happen.

Desmond's voice broke his concentration again. "Do I get one?"

"You don't need one…for prolonged exposure, I do this 20 times a day"

Desmond still looked confused. Daniel was beginning to think that Desmond was always confused. "So what do you put on your head?"

Daniel chuckled softly. Why would he need something on his head? He had never heard of radiation affecting someone's brain before. "Yeah" Once the machine was set, Daniel walked over to the cage and removed Eloise. He had been trying to send her to the future for a while now, but hadn't yet succeeded. He figured he should introduce her to Desmond, even though Desmond already knew about her. "And this…this is Eloise" He then set her in the maze he had constructed. He had gotten the idea for it from a symbol drawn in the journal.

Desmond took in all the equipment. "What does this do?"

"This…if the numbers you gave me are correct, what this will do is unstick Eloise in time…just like you" Daniel turned on the device, and began to wait. As soon as the device turned off, Daniel stripped off the vest. He really disliked it.

"What happened?" Desmond asked.

Daniel was getting annoyed. "Wait. Shhhh. She's not back yet" The two men watched Eloise. "There she is" He took a deep breath. "Okay, here goes...everything" Daniel lifted the partition. As Eloise began to run the maze, Daniel walked along the perimeter of it with her, getting more excited as she progressed further and further. "Come on. Come on. That's it, come on. That's it. Yes, yes yes." He laughed in exhilaration. "Yes! Oh, it worked! This is incredible"

Desmond didn't see how this was so impressive, until Daniel explained the situation. He then clarified what happened to Desmond. Then, he ran to a chalkboard and erased it, intent on writing down the numbers so he would not forget them.

"So how does that help me?" Desmond raised his voice, frustrated.

Daniel had almost forgotten he was there. "You…what? I don't understand. Am I supposed to help you? Didn't I send you back here to help me?"

Desmond was definitely angry. "I don't know why you sent me here. All I know about you is that you end up on some bloody island"

It was Daniel's turn to be confused. "An island? What island? Where…why would I go to an island? Wait, the letter. The letter mentioned an island. The person who wrote the letter was me" He turned to look at Desmond, but didn't see him immediately. He looked down, and Desmond was on the floor. His eyes were open, but they were blank. Daniel took his pulse. When he realized Desmond was still alive, he picked him up and carried him to the nearest chair.

During the time that Desmond was gone, Daniel realized how to help him. He needed what was referred to in the journal as 'a constant'. That is why Eloise had died. Daniel also decided to do an autopsy, to determine what exactly was the cause of death, but he believed that was a brain aneurysm. He was writing new equations on the chalkboard when Desmond returned.

"What happened?"

His question startled Daniel. He had gotten used to the quiet. "Oh, you're back" Daniel glanced at his watch. "And you were out for almost 75 minutes"

"Out?" Desmond asked, not entirely sure what Daniel meant.

Daniel put down the chalk, and walked towards Desmond. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You just – whoof –went catatonic right in the middle of a sentence" Dessmond didn't need to know that Daniel didn't realize it right away. "I had to carry you to the chair. So…I take it you were - -you were in the future again?"

"Aye" A simple response. That was new.

"For how long?" Daniel wanted to have more information.

"I don't know…five minutes?" Daniel paused, and returned to the chalkboard to add that variable to his calculations. "Why does this keep happening?" Now the questions were back, too.

"In your case, I'm guessing that progression is exponential" Daniel knew Desmond didn't know what that meant, so he continued before Desmond could ask. "Each time your consciousness jumps, it gets harder to jump back" He decided to attempt a joke to lighten the mood. "I would be careful crossing the street if I were you" The joke fell flat.

"What happened to her?" He saw Eloise. Daniel had a feeling that that wasn't good.

"She died" He didn't want to give Desmond an explanation if he didn't need to.

"Yeah, I can see that. How?"

Or course, he had to ask. Daniel knew that if Desmond were able to put two and two together, he'd have a pissed off Scottish man on his hands. "Brain aneurysm, probably. I don't know. I'll need to do an autopsy later" Daniel silently pleaded to Desmond to not ask anything else.

"Is that going to happen to me?" Desmond questioned Daniel.

Daniel decided to try to talk in circles while staring intently at the chalkboard, hoping Desmond wouldn't catch on. "The effects seem to vary from case to case, but, uh…"

Desmond turned Daniel around and slammed him into the chalkboard."If this keeps happening, am I going to die?"

Daniel wanted to get Desmond calm enough to let him go. "I don't know" Desmond let him go and turned away. Daniel paused, before continuing. "I think Eloise's brain short-circuited. The jumps between the present and the future…she couldn't tell which was which. She had no anchor"

Desmond looked as if he wanted to seize on this small piece of information. "Wh…what do you mean, anchor?"

Daniel tried to explain it the best he could. "Something familiar in both times. All this" he gestured to the chalkboard. "See, this is variables. It's random. It's chaotic. Every equation needs stability, something known. It's called a constant. Desmond, you have no constant" Daniel took a breath, and continued. "When you go to the future, nothing there is familiar. So if you want to stop this, you…then you need to find something there…something that you really, really care about…that also exists back here… in 1996"

"This constant…can it be a person?" Desmond appeared to have someone in mind.

Daniel thought for a moment. According to the journal, his future self had indirectly given Charlotte her constant when she was four years old. It had been a necklace. So far, it appeared to be working out. He had seen her wearing when he ran into her a few months ago. He didn't see how it couldn't be a person, though. "Yeah, maybe. But you have to make some kind of contact. Didn't you say you were off on a boat…in the middle of nowhere?"

Desmond picked up his phone, and Daniel stared in shock. "Uh…who're you calling?"

Desmond looked at him and said, with determination "I'm calling my bloody constant". Almost immediately after, he slammed down the phone and stormed out of the room.

Daniel watched him go, but made no effort to go after him. He had done all he could do, and it was up to Desmond to do the rest. He picked up his journal, and flipped to a page that had struck him as odd before. He stared at the words, written in capital letters and underlined, and read "If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant". Now Daniel understood why that was in there. Desmond just answered a question he had had for months, since receiving the journal. Time travel is possible. This is why Desmond is important to him.

Daniel looked at his watch, and realized he had missed his appointment. He picked up the phone, and after a few minutes he had managed to reschedule it for the next week. Smiling, he left the room and walked to a pet shop a few blocks from Oxford.

At the pet shop, he purchased ten rats: nine males, one female. He would use eight of the males for testing, and would keep the last two in order to produce more rats, in case he needed more. He wanted to figure out a way to negate the consequences of time travel.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Lost.

Chapter 9

Two years after Daniel encountered Desmond, he was still working intently in the room above the physics department. He had found a way for the rats to survive the time jumps, with virtually no side effects. A year before, he had encountered Theresa Spencer, a British woman with curly blonde hair, in the pet shop. Somehow, he felt he could trust her. She had eventually fallen into the position of his research assistant and they had become good friends.

A woman's voice filled the room. "Daniel, have you been here all day?"

"Umm…what time is it?" Daniel asked, absorbed in his notes.

He heard movement around him as Theresa chuckled. "Almost seven" As if on cue, Daniel's stomach growled. "I brought you some food. I had a feeling that you hadn't eaten all day" She reached over his shoulder and gently took the pen out of his hand.

He looked up at her and took the bag. "Thanks, Theresa. I - -I guess I just lost track of time"

"Or you forgot. Dan, you've been forgetting a lot recently. I'm worried" Theresa sat down on a chair besides his.

"Don't be. I've just been…absorbed…in this stuff lately. But I finally accomplished wh - -what I've been trying to. The rats - -I've figured out how to get rid of all the effects of time travel for them" Daniel replied, practically inhaling the food.

"That's great, Dan. I just hope that you're right" Theresa thought for a moment, and then smiled. "Since you figured it out, don't you think you should graduate from rats to something else?"

"What do - -what are you talking about?" Daniel tried to understand what Theresa was getting at, but he couldn't figure it out.

"Maybe you should try the time travelling with a person, instead of a rat" Theresa explained.

"It's too risky. I should use more…complex animals than - -than rats, to make sure it works. To make sure I have found a successful way to safely travel through time. And even if I - -I wanted to use a person, where would I find a…volunteer?" Daniel shook his head. Theresa' s idea wasn't a good one.

"I'd volunteer" Theresa spoke as if it were obvious.

"No!" Daniel turned and stared at her in fear. "No. Theresa it's - -it's too dangerous. I have no idea if what works for the rats will work for anything else. I'm not going to risk it"

"Daniel, calm down. I trust you. You're brilliant. You've spent the last two years trying to prove something that you already know is possible. And you know as well as I do that no one will take you seriously until you have proof, until a person experiences it and can back you up. And as for the side effects, there's a way to stop them if what you figured out doesn't work. I'll just have a constant, just in case"

Daniel was obviously considering her proposal. She was right. He had spent the last two years of his life proving something he knew, without a doubt, was possible. "I - -I don't know. Maybe you have the right idea but…"

"But nothing" Theresa was becoming almost giddy with the prospect of time traveling. "I want to do this. I'm eventually going to. You know that. The only question left is when we're going to do it: now or later?"

"Do you have any idea who you're constant is going to be?" Daniel asked her,

Theresa smiled as if it were obvious. "I'll use my father"

Daniel sighed. They were really going to do this. "Okay. I just want to get everything together and make sure my - -my calculations are correct. We can start in…two weeks. I've waited this long. What's a - -a couple more weeks?"

Theresa smiled. "I'll be ready"

Daniel spent the next two weeks with a feeling of apprehension. He didn't think using Theresa as a test subject was a very good idea, but she had insisted. He had a feeling that something bad was going to happen, but he brushed it aside.

Finally, the day arrived. Theresa rushed into the room and immediately asked Daniel "Are you ready?"

Daniel was obviously distracted. "For…ready for what?"

"Dan, today's the day you're going to unstick me in time. Don't you remember?" Theresa was really becoming worried about his memory. This was going further than just absent mindedness.

"Oh…that - -that's today, isn't it?" Daniel scratched his head, and then realized she was right. "Now I remember. Yeah…I'm ready. Have you contacted your constant…your dad?"

"Right before I came here. So, how do we do this?"Theresa questioned, excitement building.

Daniel directed her to a chair, and began to set everything up. When he was ready, he looked at Theresa. "Okay. I'm - -I'm ready…are you?

"Yes. Let's do it" Theresa nodded.

Daniel looked at her, in order to make sure she was ready. She nodded again, and Daniel turned on the device. As soon as it turned off, he rushed to her side and waited. She was motionless for almost twenty minutes before she opened her eyes. Theresa looked straight at him and spoke "That was awesome"

"When - -when were you? What were you experiencing?" Daniel asked, hardly believing it worked.

"It was two years ago, and I was at a lake with some of my friends. And don't worry. I was able to find a pay phone and I called my dad" Theresa replied with a huge smile on her face.

Daniel smiled in return, her excitement spreading to him and erasing his concern. The next three months were spent in this way. Theresa would travel to a certain point in her past, and Daniel waited for her to return. This took place with no problems.

* * *

Daniel looked at his watch with concern. Theresa had been out for almost three hours, and she had never remained unstuck in time that long before. Suddenly, she stirred, but Daniel sensed something was off.

Theresa looked sick, and when she spoke her voice was faint. "Daniel, I have to tell you something"

"What is it?" he asked softly, wondering what it was she had experienced.

"I think I've been experiencing side effects. I just didn't want to tell you. The last few times I've traveled, I've gotten nosebleeds. Also, I've been dizzy, getting headaches, and seeing double. I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't think it was a big deal" Theresa looked hesitant, waiting for his reaction.

"I - -I don't understand. You've…been con - -contacting your father, haven't you?" Daniel had no idea what to do.

Theresa looked even more worried. "Actually, I haven't, Dan. Lately, I've been too young to call him, and he's been at work"

Daniel immediately went from helpless and confused to scared. "How long has it been since you…contacted him?"

"I've gone back eight times now without talking to him" Theresa replied.

Daniel stood and began to pace frantically. "Theresa! You should've told me the first time this happened. We…would've stopped doing it immediately…"

"That's just it! I was feeling fine, and I didn't want to stop. You've worked so long for this" Theresa replied.

"I don't care. You should've…Theresa, you…" Daniel looked at her oddly.

"What is it, Dan?" Theresa asked.

"You're…nose, it's - -it's bleeding" Daniel stuttered.

"Damn it. I…" Theresa's eyes went blank, and Daniel became extremely worried.

"Theresa, Theresa, are you there?" Daniel asked. When he received no reply, he began to search frantically for the serum he injected into the rats to counteract the effects of time travel. He didn't know if it would work because Theresa's side effects were so pronounced, but he had to try. He returned to her side, and injected the serum into her bloodstream. Now, all he could do was wait.

Four hours later, Theresa awoke. "Theresa, what happened?" Daniel was immediately at her side.

"I'm not sure. You didn't turn on the device again, did you?" Theresa looked disoriented.

"No - -no. Why would I do…something like that?" Daniel looked hurt at the accusation.

Theresa stood up suddenly. "How else could this happen?"

"I don't know, Theresa!" Daniel shouted.

Theresa immediately sank into the chair, again. "I'm sorry Dan. I just don't know what's going on"

"That makes two of us. I - -I gave you the serum. Hopefully it'll help" Daniel sighed. He knew this wasn't a good idea, but Theresa talked him into it.

A month passed. Daniel had not used the device since the day Theresa revealed what was happening to her, but she was still time traveling. Her family had noticed, and checked her into a hospital so they could find out what was happening. The doctors had no idea, and determined that it was a psychological disorder. Theresa had been placed in a mental hospital, and it appeared she would be there for the rest of her life.

Oxford decided to investigate what happened to Theresa, because everyone had known she was Daniel's assistant. Daniel was unaware of the investigation until they showed up at his room and discovered all of his research. Oxford gave him a chance to explain, but they did not like what they heard. He was not fired, but it was recommended that Daniel quit.

Dejected, Daniel returned to Massachusetts and attempted to obtain a job there. He was hired at a local college near Essex, and settled into his new life. During his first year there, he realized that Theresa had been right to worry. Daniel was having problems with his memory. He had no idea how to improve it, so he began writing everything he needed to remember into the journal, since there were still many empty pages in it.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

A/N: Did anyone else want to cry at last night's episode when Dan was shown? You could actually feel his pain at losing Charlotte. It was so sad, especially when he saw the little girl and said "Charlotte".

Chapter 10

At first, Daniel's job in Massachusetts went rather well. He quickly got the reputation as the strange, absent minded professor but Daniel didn't mind. It was when he began to forget what he wanted to teach his students, and when he forgot when his classes were that he realized he couldn't work as a professor for much longer. Daniel quit, citing health reasons. He had a good amount of money saved up, and his old benefactor in England, Charles Widmore, had also told Daniel that if he needed money to let him know. It appeared that Widmore felt guilty for funding Daniel's research, and he felt responsible for the results – what had happened to both Theresa and Daniel. Daniel learned that Widmore was also paying for Theresa to receive the care she needed.

Daniel had hired a caretaker for himself. She was a nice woman named Mary. She came daily, and took care of both Daniel and the apartment. She generally made him meals and cleaned, and she also talked to him. Daniel was grateful for her company.

Normally, Daniel remained active despite his memory problems, scribbling equations on pieces of paper, still trying to fix the consequences of time travel. Recently, he had gotten sick with the flu, and instead his days were spent sitting, watching television. Mary was making him breakfast, and Daniel was watching the news, which was covering the discovery of Oceanic 815 in the bottom of the ocean.

Daniel stared at the television intently, as the newscaster spoke about the discovery. "This haunting footage comes to us from the Christiane I, a salvage vehicle in the Indian Ocean. For more than two months, it's been scouring the depths of the Sunda Trench off Bali, in search of the remains of sunken trading ships. Late last night, the Christiane deployed two remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs, that verified what the National Transportation Safety Board had long feared, that the commercial...."

The newscaster's voice seemed to fade out to Daniel, even though he knew he hadn't touched the volume. Instead, he was focused on something else. He had begun to cry, but he had no idea why.

Mary's voice filled the small apartment. "How do you want your eggs, Dan?" Daniel didn't respond, so she continued talking. "So, what happened? They find that missing plane?" He still didn't respond. "Dan? Dan?" She moved closer and noticed his tears. "Dan, why are you so upset?"

Daniel was wondering that himself. "I don't know"

She moved back into the kitchen. "Well, it is a tragedy. There were three hundred twenty-four people on that plane, probably more. Their families must all be devastated. Maybe that's why you're upset"

"Maybe" Daniel replied. He had a feeling he had heard about this, before. He thought it was in the journal that he had received twelve years ago. It had been awhile since he read it. The last time he read it was actually when he was at Oxford. When he left England, he had begun to use it as a normal notebook, and did not read what was in the journal when he received it. Maybe he should start reading it again. He decided to start that night, once Mary left.

He was brought out of thoughts by Mary. "Time to eat, Dan. Hopefully you can keep this down"

Daniel smiled. "I - -I hope so. I really don't think it's…healthy to spend this much time throwing up"

Mary smiled in return. "You're sick, so of course it isn't healthy"

The day passed as it normally did. Daniel was feeling better, so his notebooks began to be used again. Daniel and Mary talked about various things, and played games. She left after washing the dinner dishes, and as soon as he heard the door shut he went to his room, sat down, and began to re-read the journal. It was as fascinating as it had been the first time through.

A week after he learned about the discovery of Oceanic 815, Daniel was taking a walk in a park near his house. A tall, African-American man approached him. Daniel had seen him occasionally when he was working at Oxford. The man worked for Charles Widmore.

"Hello, Daniel" the man greeted him.

"Hi…ummm…" Daniel trailed off, embarrassed that he couldn't remember the man's name.

"Matthew. Matthew Abbadon " the man informed him.

"Matthew" Daniel repeated the name, now wondering how he had forgotten it in the first place.

"How have you been?" Matthew asked, as if they were old friends.

"I – I've been good. Why are you here, though? Massachusetts is…pretty far from England" Daniel commented, wondering why Matthew was in Essex, of all places.

"I'm here on the behalf of Charles Widmore. He has a job for you, if you're interested" Matthew gestured to a bench, and the two sat down.

"Well, what is it?" Daniel asked.

"We're looking for a man named Benjamin Linus. The last time he was seen, he was on an island. This island is different, though. It's extremely difficult to find, and even harder to get to safely. You'd be a vital part of this mission" Matthew replied.

Daniel thought for a moment. He had just read about the Island in the journal. Survivors of Oceanic 815 were there, if the journal was correct. He would also meet Charlotte on this mission. Also, it would get him out of Essex and he'd be working again, instead of scribbling random equations on spare pieces of paper that he found in his apartment. His decision was made. He looked up at Matthew and spoke. "I'll do it"

Matthew smiled at Daniel's response. "Great" He pulled a large envelope out of his briefcase and handed it to Daniel. "Here is all the information. If you have any questions, call. My number's there as well. A car will come pick you up, so you don't need to worry about transportation" Matthew shook Daniel's hand and stood. "I'll see you soon"

Daniel looked at the envelope, and when he looked for Matthew the man had already disappeared.

At home, Daniel opened the envelope. The first paper was basic information. The car would come pick him up two weeks from now, at 8:00 AM. He would be traveling on a boat called the Kahana, and he would be working with four other people. A woman named Naomi Dorrit was the team leader. Frank Lapidus was the pilot that would fly them to the island. Miles Straume was a spiritualist, whatever that was. Charlotte Lewis was listed as an anthropologist. He had no idea why these particular people were chosen, himself included. Especially since they were searching for a missing person. Still, Daniel decided not to question it. He knew from the journal that he was not told the entire truth.

Two weeks had passed quickly, and Daniel was surprised that he had not forgotten the important details about the mission. He had informed Mary about what he was doing, and although she expressed concern she reassured him that she'd still check on the apartment for him. He told her that he wasn't sure how long he'd be, and she told him that it would be fine. She arrived at his apartment the morning of his departure to say him off, and to make sure he hadn't forgotten everything. By the time his ride arrived, everything was taken care of.

The car took Daniel to the airport, and he flew to England, where he was immediately picked up and taken to the marina. The ride was tiring, but Daniel occupied himself by sleeping and reading the journal again. He had a feeling that he needed to know as much of the information as possible for the mission, and he hoped he wouldn't forget everything. When he arrived at the marina, a man immediately took his luggage and assured him it would be taken directly to his room.

Daniel boarded the boat, which looked more like a freighter, without any difficulty and sat on deck, observing everything that was taking place around him. He watched as a man arrived shortly after him. He looked Asian, and was giving the workers a hard time. Shortly after, a man, with graying hair and beard, wearing a brightly colored shirt showed up talking on the phone. When he was informed that no phones were allowed, he tossed it into the ocean without blinking an eye.

A half hour after the last man arrived, a red headed woman stepped out of a car, talking on a cell phone. She stayed on the dock, watching the men moving her belongings carefully, still on the phone. Daniel moved closer, knowing instinctively that the woman was Charlotte, and he was intrigued by her. He had only encountered her once before, but he hadn't forgotten her, which he thought was odd. Listening carefully, he was able to hear the end of her conversation.

"No, mum. I'm not coming home. I'm going on this expedition, and you can't stop me"  
Charlotte sounded as if she had had this conversation multiple times.

She paused to listen to the person on the other end. "You have no problem letting me go halfway around the world whenever I want, to stay with people you've never heard of. Now, you're mad that I've been hired by a man from our own country? I don't understand this"

She listened again, and from the triumphant look on her face Daniel could assume that the person on the other end had caved. "Yes mum. I promise I'll be careful"

A smile spread on her face, and she spoke softer. "Love you, too, mum. Tell my sisters and dad I said bye"

Charlotte hung up the phone, put it in her pocket, tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, and went to board the Kahana only to be stopped immediately. "No phones allowed" one of the men informed her.

"You've got to be bloody kidding me" She looked at the men, hoping one would tell her it was okay to have her phone on board. When she received no response, she sighed in frustration. "Where the hell am I supposed to put it, then?"

One of the workers pointed wordlessly down towards the water. She looked angrier, and pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Are you serious? You honestly think that this can cause a problem? Fine, but you'll owe me a new one once we get back here" At the end of her sentence, she dropped it in the water and stormed past the men.

Daniel immediately tried to move, scared he'd be caught eavesdropping. He rushed across the deck, only to run into Charlotte. Immediately, he began to apologize. "I'm so, so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going and..." He looked at the woman, and forgot what he was going to say. "I'm sorry"

She studied him closely, before smiling. "You said that already. I'm Charlotte Lewis, the resident anthropologist"

"Daniel Faraday. I'm a - - a physicist" He noticed the necklace she was wearing and remembered her wearing it during their last encounter. He also remembered that his journal had mentioned it. He just couldn't remember its significance.

"Physicist? That's really interesting" Charlotte said.

"Really?" Daniel normally didn't get that response when telling people what he did.

"Yeah. Look, I've got to get to my room and make sure nothing's missing, but I'll have to remember to ask you about that later" Charlotte looked genuinely interested by Daniel, and he felt extremely at ease with her.

"I – I don't want to pry, but why do you have to…check on your things?" Daniel was sure that he had just broken some unwritten rule, but he was curious.

"It's fine, Dan. Do you mind if I call you Dan?" She asked randomly.

"No. I…don't mind" Daniel replied.

"All right. And to continue, I just got back from a dig in Tunisia, and I only had a few spare minutes to stop at my apartment before the car came for me. I want to make sure that I didn't lose or forget anything" Charlotte explained.

Daniel understood immediately. "Well, then…I - - I don't want to keep you"

"Don't worry about it. I'll talk to you later, yeah?" She smiled brightly.

"Yeah, we'll talk later" Daniel smiled in return. She turned and walked to her room, and Daniel watched her until she was out of sight, feeling almost dazed at their encounter.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 11

Daniel went to his room, and realized he was sharing one with the two other male members of the team. He stood in the doorway awkwardly, until the man with the bright shirt turned around.

"Hi, you sleeping in here, too?" the man asked.

Daniel stuttered nervously in response. "Ye - -yes. I'm…Daniel Faraday"

"Nice to meet you, Daniel. I'm Frank". Frank looked at the other man, and then back at Daniel. "He's Miles" Frank gestured in the other man's direction.

"Hi, Miles" Daniel greeted him, but Miles disregarded him.

"Ignore Miles" Frank said. "I have a feeling he's going to be a pain in the ass, anyway" Miles glared at Frank, then left the room. "So, Daniel, have you met any of the other team members yet?" Frank sat down on a bed, and Daniel looked around wondering which one was his. "That one's yours" Frank said, pointing at the bed opposite his own. "Miles took the top bunk"

"Thanks. And I've met…Charlotte" Daniel replied, sitting on his bed.

"What's she like?" Frank asked.

"She seems…interesting. Have you met…um…Naomi yet?" Daniel wasn't sure what she was like. She hadn't been mentioned in the journal.

"No. We will soon, though. I heard she wants to meet with all of us after dinner" Frank replied.

Daniel made a mental note, hoping that he wouldn't forget about it. "Thanks, Frank. I'm going to go back on deck. I - - I want to get some fresh air"

Frank nodded. "Suit yourself. I'm gonna get some sleep. This jet lag isn't fun. See you later, Daniel"

Daniel nodded to show he heard Frank, and left the room. As he rounded a corner, he saw Miles. He tried to ignore him, but Miles stepped in front of him. "So you're the physicist. I thought you were supposed to be smart"

"I - -I am" Daniel was taken aback at how Miles was treating him.

"You sure don't seem like it. You seem more like a head case" Miles scoffed, and pushed past Daniel.

Daniel was frozen in shock, and at first didn't notice someone was calling his name. "Dan. Dan. Daniel"

Daniel blinked, and noticed Charlotte standing in front of him. "Oh, sorry Charlotte"

"What's wrong?" Charlotte asked. "And don't say nothing. You look upset"

"It's - -it's really nothing. Honest. I…just talked to Miles, and…" Daniel trailed off, bothered that he had let a small comment like that affect him.

"I heard what he said. You don't have to repeat it" Charlotte smiled gently at him.

"But…I …" Daniel faltered, not sure what he wanted to say.

Charlotte walked closer to him, and touched his arm softly. "And just so you know, I don't think you're a head case"

"Thanks, Charlotte" Daniel felt a lot better after her last comment.

"It's the truth, Dan. You don't have to thank me for saying the truth" Charlotte replied. She thought for a moment, and Daniel saw a flash of determination in her eyes. "If you'll excuse me, I need to take care of something. I'll see you at dinner" Charlotte made a move to walk away, then stopped. "Do you want to eat with me?"

"Uh…sure. That'd be…nice" Daniel replied. "I'll see you at dinner" Charlotte flashed him a smile, and then walked down the corridor. Daniel was curious as to where she was going, but he decided not to pry for information.

Daniel walked into dinner and looked around for Charlotte. She hadn't arrived yet, so he got his food and sat at a table with Frank to wait for her.

"Hey, Daniel. How was your walk?" Frank asked genially.

"It - -it was pretty good" Daniel replied, glancing around for Charlotte.

"Who're you looking for?" Frank had noticed Daniel's searching.

"What? Oh…no - -nobody" Daniel was a little embarrassed that he had been caught.

Frank lifted an eyebrow, as if he didn't believe him, but he dropped the subject. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, until Daniel felt someone sit next to him.

"Hey, Dan. Sorry I'm a little late, but the thing I needed to do took longer than expected" Charlotte spoke easily, and then noticed Frank. "Oh, hello. I'm Charlotte Lewis"

"Frank Lapidus" Frank replied, giving Daniel a look as if to say 'I knew you were looking for someone'.

Daniel ignored him, and went to say something to Charlotte but he was interrupted by Miles sitting down next to Frank. He thought Miles was acting strange, and when Miles flinched at the sight of Charlotte it only confirmed Daniel's suspicions. Miles had kept his head tilted a certain way, but when he went to eat Daniel noticed that he had a black eye.

Daniel looked at Charlotte curiously, wondering if she was the cause of it. Charlotte looked at Daniel, and he titled his head towards Miles with an unspoken question. Charlotte smiled innocently. "What?" but Daniel noticed a look in her eye that indicated she was the one responsible.

"Nothing, I - -I was just wondering something" Daniel responded. The two fell into a quiet conversation, until Frank interrupted.

"Charlotte, have you met Miles already? You didn't introduce yourself when he sat down.

"I had a brief encounter with him earlier". Charlotte looked at Miles, and smiled. "What happened to your eye, Miles?"

Miles wouldn't look at anyone when he responded. "I walked into a wall"

After dinner, a man approached them and said that Naomi wanted to meet with them. The man led the four to what appeared to be a meeting room, and left without a word. Daniel and Charlotte sat down next to each other, Frank sat on the other side of Daniel, and Miles sat separately from the rest of the group.

Daniel glanced at Miles, then leaned to whisper to Charlotte. "Charlotte, did you punch Miles?"

Charlotte flushed and didn't quite meet Daniel's eyes. "Well, I just wanted to tell him off for calling you a head case, but then he insulted me, so I punched him"

Daniel looked back over at Miles, and he heard Frank stifle a laugh. He looked back and Charlotte and said "It seems to have…shut him up, at least" He paused, and then said quietly "Thank you"

Charlotte whispered back "It's no problem".

Then, Frank couldn't hold in his laughter anymore, and it burst out of him startling Daniel and Charlotte. "Charlotte, all I have to say is nice job" Frank managed to say, while laughing.

Charlotte's blush grew darker, and Daniel couldn't stop a smile from spreading her face. The two looked at each other, and then they began to laugh as well.

An unfamiliar voice sounded through the room. "If you're finished laughing, can we start?"

Daniel immediately stopped laughing and turned to look and the source of the voice. He found himself looking at a dark skinned woman with long, dark brown hair. He looked at Charlotte, who was looking at him, and then they both glanced at Miles, who looked smug.

The woman cleared her throat. "Now that everyone is paying attention, my name is Naomi Dorrit, and I'm your team leader. You are a science team, and you are needed to do specific things on this Island. Daniel, we need you to calculate a safe bearing to fly in on. Travel to and from the Island can be extremely dangerous. Charlotte, you're needed because a civilization once existed on the Island, and it may still exist. We want you to learn as much as you can about them. Miles, we want you to corroborate Charlotte's findings. Frank, you're here so you can fly the team to and from the Island. Also, we are here to find Benjamin Linus. I have packets here, and they will explain what you are expected to do more thoroughly than I have. Any questions?"

Miles spoke up. "I have one" Naomi looked at him expectantly, and Miles took that as a sign of encouragement. "Are you single?"

"I don't think that's any of your business". Naomi handed out the packets, and then spoke again. "Now, any legitimate questions?"

They shook their heads 'no'. "Okay, have a good trip. I may call occasional meetings, so pay attention" Naomi then left, and the others glanced around wordlessly.

Charlotte was the first to stand up. "I'm going to go read this. Dan, want to come with me?"

"Sure" Daniel stood up as well, and the two walked to find a quiet spot to read. They found a place on the top deck, far away from the main activity that was taking place.

They read silently, before Daniel let out a gasp. Charlotte looked up from her papers. "What is it?"

"Re - -read this" Daniel held his papers to him, and she read the part he indicated.

She looked up at Daniel in horror. "Oh my God. Dan, they want you to kill everyone that could be on the Island once Linus is off? By releasing a poisonous gas? What did we get ourselves into?"

"Char - -Charlotte, I'm not the only person expected to do it" a passage in Charlotte's papers had caught Daniel's attention.

"What do you mean?" Charlotte still looked horrified.

"Here" he indicated a place in her papers.

"I'm supposed to help? Dan, what do we do?" Charlotte was panicked.

"I don't know, Charlotte. But we won't do it. We'll figure out something" Daniel's calm voice caused her to look up, and she calmed down.

"You're right. We've got time to figure something out. And we will" Charlotte assured herself.

The two sat in silence, planning how to get out of becoming killers. They had figured out a few different ways, and they agreed that they should wait before picking a final plan. Daniel looked at his watch, and was shocked to realize that it was almost midnight. Dinner had been at 7, and the meeting was at 8:30. They had left around fifteen minutes later, so they had been planning for at least two and a half hours.

"Charlotte, it's practically midnight" Daniel said, still staring at his watch.

"Really?" Charlotte grabbed his arm to see for herself. "Wow, we've been out here awhile. I should probably be getting back to my room. I'm sharing with Naomi, and she seems like the type that hates to be woken up"

"I - -I should be heading back, too" Daniel stood, and then offered his hand to help Charlotte up. "Go - -good night"

"Good night, Dan" Charlotte smiled, and they went their separate ways.

Two hours later, Daniel was still awake. He couldn't sleep again, which was normal for him, and he was tossing and turning. Sighing, he got out of bed and decided to talk a walk. He found himself in the area that he was sitting with Charlotte earlier that night. He stood at the railing, and stared out at the ocean. He heard footsteps, but he didn't turn around, thinking that it was just a crewmember.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Daniel turned to see Charlotte, and she walked over to the railing and stood next to him.

"No. Sometimes I think I have…insomnia" Daniel stated.

"I know the feeling. I always have trouble sleeping anywhere besides my apartment. I almost didn't become an anthropologist because of it" Charlotte replied. She stared out at the ocean as well. "It's so peaceful out there"

"You're right, it - - it is" Daniel spoke softly.

Charlotte suddenly turned to him. "I never got to ask you earlier, what exactly do you do? I know you're a physicist, but…I'm not sure what else you could do besides teach"

"I…used to teach. I'm…in-between jobs at the moment. Th - -that's why I decided to do this" Daniel spoke vaguely, not wanting to reveal more unless she asked.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you between jobs?" Charlotte was curious.

"I was a professor at Oxford for a few years, and I was researching…" Daniel trailed off and hoped this wouldn't change her opinion of him. "I was researching time travel. I - -I figured out a way to do it safely with rats. I would send their consciousness through time. My…research assistant convinced me to try it on her and…there were side effects. Oxford looked into my research, and said it'd be best if…I quit. So I did, and I moved back to Massachusetts, which is where I grew up. I got a job as a professor at a local college near my apartment, but I quit that job, too"

"Why'd you quit there?" Charlotte asked. "Was it for the same reason?"

"It was…related to that. The time travel…I worked with radiation. I – I had too much exposure to it, and it affected my memory. I was - -was forgetting a lot. What I was going to say, when my classes were…things like that. I quit because…it was getting too hard to teach the way I wanted to" Daniel explained.

"I'm sorry" Charlotte sighed. They stood in silence for a while, then Charlotte spoke. "I have an idea"

"What about?" Daniel asked.

"How to improve your memory, maybe. This way, when we're done with this, you can teach again" Charlotte pulled a deck of cards out of her jacket pocket. "I was trying to find a place to play solitaire when I saw you. We can use the cards for this instead" She turned and sat down.

"For…for what?" Daniel tilted his head, wondering what Charlotte was talking about.

"We can play a type of memory game. Come sit down. I'll give you three cards, and you look at them for a certain amount of time…say, two minutes to start. Then, you'll hand them back to me and you'll try to keep those cards in your memory for…five minutes. Then, you tell me what you think the cards were"

"All right. We can…try it" Daniel agreed, and sat down across from Charlotte.

"Here are the cards" Charlotte placed three cards in front of Daniel. They were the king of spades, ten of hearts, and the four of spades. Daniel studied the cards, while Charlotte kept time. After two minutes had passed, Charlotte said "Time". Daniel gathered up the cards, and as Charlotte began to time again, humming softly.

Daniel tried to focus on the cards, but he was having a difficult time. Then, Charlotte said "Time" and Daniel's mind went blank. Still, he tried his best.

"Uhhh…the…umm, ten of hearts. king of spades, and…three of clubs" Daniel replied, but made it sound like a question.

Charlotte smiled. "You got pretty close" and she showed him the cards. Daniel was disappointed, but did not show it. Charlotte could already see through him, though. "Don't be disappointed. We'll do this every night. You'll improve"

"Do you really think so?" Daniel wondered.

"Yes. I really do" Charlotte responded.

"I hope you're right" Daniel looked at his watch, and stood up. "I - -I should be getting back to bed. Hopefully I'll get some sleep"

"I should be getting to bed, too" Charlotte stood up as well.

They turned to go off in their separate directions, but Daniel stopped and turned towards Charlotte again. "Charlotte…will I see you to - -tomorrow?"

"Of course, Dan. I'll see you at breakfast" Charlotte smiled.

"See you at breakfast" Daniel smiled as well. Charlotte turned, and walked back to her room. Daniel watched her leave, and then walked to his room once she was out of sight. He slipped in quietly, and he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Lost.

Chapter 12

Daniel and Charlotte soon formed a nightly ritual. They would meet in what they began to think of as 'their spot' on the freighter. They would normally arrive anywhere after midnight. When Daniel showed up before Charlotte, he would read the journal. If Charlotte arrived first, she would do different things. Sometimes Daniel came across her reading or playing solitaire. Other nights she'd be staring at the ocean, or looking at the stars. Once, he caught her singing softly to herself.

A week after their ritual began, Daniel's curiosity won out about Charlotte's necklace.

"Char? I - -I was wondering, where'd you get that…necklace? I haven't seen you without, yet" Daniel asked.

"There's a reason for that. I've never taken it off. I told you about my family, yeah? How I grew up with my mum, dad, and two sisters?" Charlotte looked at Daniel, and he nodded in response. "My dad, he's actually my step-dad and my sisters are really my half sisters. My mum married my dad when I was six, and he adopted me. My name before the adoption was Charlotte Elizabeth Staples. After he adopted me, they had it legally changed to Charlotte Staples Lewis. My real dad, he died when I was four. I'm not exactly sure how. Mum doesn't like talking about him. I remember, though, that before he died he gave me this necklace. It's been in the family for a long time. I haven't taken it off since the day I got it" Charlotte laughed softly, playing with the necklace unconsciously. "Kinda stupid, isn't it?"

"No, it - - it isn't. it's a reminder of your dad. There's nothing stupid about wanting to remember a parent" Daniel spoke.

"It sounds like you're speaking from experience" Charlotte observed.

"I - - I am, actually. My dad…he left when I was really little. I don't remember him, or even know his name" Daniel replied.

"I'm sorry" Charlotte said gently.

"Don't be. It's not your fault" Daniel spoke, shaking his head.

The next night, Daniel and Charlotte were playing their memory game. "Time" Charlotte spoke.

Daniel scratched his head, and smiled. "Ace of spades, jack of diamonds, and queen of clubs"

Charlotte smiled triumphantly. "You got them all. That's three nights in a row. We can increase the time between seeing the cards and telling me what they are, now" She flipped the cards over to show Daniel that he was right.

Daniel was caught up in excitement, and pulled her into a slightly awkward hug, considering they were sitting on the ground. Once he realized what he had done, he pulled away. "I'm really sorry. I - -I don't know why I did that. I think I was just…excited"

"Dan, it's fine. I'm really happy for you" Charlotte replied. The two remained on deck, looking at the stars. Daniel still remembered a surprising number of constellations, and so they sat trying to find them.

Daniel returned to his room, and was shocked to see Frank sitting on his bed, wide awake. Frank stood up and walked out of the room, indicating for Daniel to follow.

"Daniel, did you know I'm a light sleeper?" Frank asked simply.

"You - - you are?" Daniel asked, realizing where this conversation was leading.

"Yeah, and I've noticed that you've gone out every night, and you normally stay gone for a pretty long time. Daniel, what's going on?" Despite the fact that Frank was questioning his whereabouts, he sounded concerned instead of accusing. Daniel appreciated that.

"I have problems falling asleep. I normally sit on deck for awhile until I feel tired" Daniel replied. He wanted to keep what he really did to himself, feeling that if someone else knew about his and Charlotte's ritual, then they'd no longer do it.

"Before you get mad, I saw you tonight. I wanted a drink, so I was trying to find somewhere where a lot of people weren't around. I didn't think Naomi would be happy with me if she found out I've been drinking. I heard voices, so I looked around the corner and saw you with Charlotte" Frank said and continued. "I'm not spying on you or anything, but I was wondering"

"She - -she has problems sleeping, too. We normally run into each other on deck" Daniel didn't want to meet Frank's eyes

"Hey, I don't care what the two of you do. I just wanted to let you know that if I know, Miles might find out, too" Frank shrugged, and went back into the room. Daniel sat in the corridor for awhile, and then he went to sleep as well.

The second week went the same as the first. Daniel and Charlotte had begun to spend most of their time together. If Daniel was conducting an experiment, Charlotte would normally help him out. Frank tried a few times, as well, but Charlotte was Daniel's constant companion.

At breakfast one day, Daniel overheard some of the crew members talking about him, and basically making fun of his mannerisms. Charlotte's blue eyes darkened, and she muttered "Excuse me" before leaving the table and approaching the men.

"Is there a problem?" she spoke when she was close enough to them.

"Not at all" one of the men replied, leering at her.

"I couldn't help but overhear what you were saying" Charlotte's voice was deceptively calm.

"What about it?" a second man asked.

"Do you happen to know the man you were talking about? Have you talked to him?" Charlotte asked in return.

"No, but who would want to? He's a complete head case" the first man spoke.

"Let me tell you something. You two are the biggest head cases I've ever encountered. Daniel is a friend of mine, and I don't appreciate it when I hear people talking badly about him. He is probably the most intelligent person on this freighter, and…"

The first man interrupted her and spoke to the second man. "He's probably shagging her. That's the only way a woman like her would stand up for a head case like him"

Charlotte's expression darkened at the man's words. "That's not good" Miles said.

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked, still fully focused on Charlotte.

"That's the same look she had on her face before…Never mind" Miles replied.

Daniel knew what Miles was about to say, though, so he was expecting what happened next. Charlotte's fist flew, and she punched the first man in the nose, before stalking back to the table.

Frank cheered her on as she returned. "Nice one, Charlotte. Remind me to never get on your bad side"

Charlotte sighed, looked at her food, and then left the cafeteria. Daniel hurriedly followed after her. As he left he heard Miles say "Do they expect us to throw away their food for them?"

"Char. Hey, Charlotte. Wait up" Daniel chased after her.

Charlotte whirled around. "What, Dan?" she snapped.

Daniel shrank back as if she had slapped him. "I - -I just wanted to - -to see if you were…okay. I – I shouldn't have. I'll…just go"

The anger on Charlotte's face immediately disappeared. "Oh God, Dan, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that"

Daniel noticed people beginning to leave the cafeteria, and others on the deck were watching them. "Do - -do you want to…?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yeah"

They walked in silence until they reached 'their spot'. Charlotte exploded and began to pace. "I can't believe people can be so inconsiderate. They don't even know you, Dan. You're one of the most decent, genuine people I've ever met, and you're a great person and…"

Daniel watched as Charlotte ranted, before she finally ran out of steam and leaned on the railing. Then, he spoke. "Char, I really appreciate what you did back there, but you didn't need to. I'm used to those comments"

"But it's not right, Dan. And I want them to know that" she sighed.

"It doesn't bother me. I've…got you. I don't need to worry about their comments, because I know there's one person that…doesn't believe them. Who – who knows who I really am" Daniel looked at Charlotte. "There…was one thing they said that bothered me"

"What was it?" Charlotte asked.

"It was when the guy basically…called you a - - a whore. I'm not very good with…most people, but I - - I understood what he meant" Daniel said. "I was glad you punched him, because he…deserved it for what he said about - -about you"

"Thanks, Dan" she walked over to him, and gave him a hug.

After that day, when Daniel overheard crewmembers talking about Charlotte he confronted them. His confrontational skills weren't very good, but he was able to successfully confuse them, which also got them to stop talking about her. They also began to steer clear of him when they saw him. He also noticed people avoiding Charlotte, or attempting to get out of her line of vision. He assumed that they were people Charlotte caught insulting him. Soon, the two were left alone on the freighter. The only people that talked to them besides Frank, Miles, and occasionally Naomi were Regina and George, two communications officers.

Charlotte and Daniel didn't mind. They still had their nightly meetings, and Daniel's memory was steadily improving, but not without setbacks.

They were anchored off the coast of the Island, and the next day they would find out when they would travel to it. The card game had progressed to where Daniel would look at the cards for a minute, and try to remember them for fifteen minutes.

"Time" Charlotte's voice filled the otherwise silent freighter. Since they were anchored, no crewmen were working. Everyone, besides the two of them, was asleep.

"I - -I don't remember. Ummm…the three of hearts, the queen of clubs, and the five of hearts"

Charlotte silently flipped over three cards, and Daniel saw the three of diamonds, queen of spades, and the five of hearts. "You got one, but the other two were pretty close. You got what the cards were, you just messed up the suits"

"Char…it's one card. That's not progress" Daniel was frustrated.

"Yes it is, Dan. Look at how far you've come since we started to do this" Charlotte said. "The first night, you wouldn't have even gotten close. You know that as well as I do"

"You're right. My memory problems can just be…really frustrating" Daniel sighed.

"I understand" Charlotte leaned over and looked at Daniel's watch. "We should probably call it a night. It's almost two, and we might be going to the Island in the morning, even though it's a small possibility. We should be awake, just in case"

"Yeah" Daniel stood up and brushed off his pants.

Charlotte picked up the cards, and stood as well. "Good night, Dan" She touched his arm briefly, before leaving. Daniel watched as she paused, staring at something out in the water. "Dan, come here. You've got to see this"

Daniel walked to where Charlotte was standing. "What…?" He then saw what Charlotte was looking at. "Oh, wow" She had spotted a dolphin. Charlotte watched it with fascination, but Daniel couldn't take his eyes off her. Her blue eyes were sparkling in the moonlight, and the light she stood almost directly under illuminated the red of her hair. She was beautiful.

Eventually, they said their good nights, and Charlotte left. Daniel stayed rooted to ground, though. He had come to a startling revelation. He was falling in love with her.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

A/N: Two in one day. I'm on my spring break, and I'm spending my day babysitting. I got bored, so I decided to write Chapter 13 and update.

Chapter 13

Daniel and Charlotte were walking to breakfast the next day when they stumbled across Frank and Naomi having an argument. They appeared to be arguing about who was going to fly the first helicopter to the Island.

As they walked closer, they could hear what Naomi and Frank were saying. "…I need you here to transport the science team, Frank" Naomi appeared determined to get her own way.

"What the hell are you going to be doing?" Frank spat out.

"That's need to know. You don't" Naomi realized she had won, and she left Frank gaping after her in shock. Frank sighed, and approached a man that Daniel thought looked vaguely familiar.

Charlotte noticed Daniel trying to place the man. "That's Kevin. I think he's a deckhand, but I'm not sure. He mostly keeps to himself"

"Kevin" Daniel muttered, hoping he'd remember the man's name.

Daniel jumped as a door slammed open, and the two watched Naomi stalk out. "Faraday, what's the bearing that I need to fly in on?"

Daniel was carrying the journal, as he always did, and he began to flip through frantically. "Hold on…I have it in here somewhere"

Naomi tapped her foot impatiently, and Charlotte shot her a glare. Daniel appeared to not notice what was going on, but he was aware of more than most people realized. "The bearing is…305".

"305. Got it". Naomi left.

Charlotte watched her leave and muttered. "She could've thanked you, at least"

"It - -it's not a big deal. She's…in a hurry" Daniel stated. "Want to go play a card game?"

"A memory game? Don't we normally do that at night?" Charlotte was confused.

"No, not a - -a memory game. A…regular card game. Something simple" Daniel said.

"Okay. We could play war" Charlotte proposed, and Daniel nodded. "Come on".

Frank stopped them before they could go to 'their spot'. "Guys, you probably don't want to disappear today. Naomi'll probably want to brief us before she leaves"

Charlotte thought for a moment. "We could go to the cafeteria"

"Do you mind if I come with you? I've got nothing else to do, today. Naomi's forbidden me from flying the other helicopter until she comes back"

The three sat and played Bullshit. They played four games, and Daniel lost every one.

Charlotte looked at Daniel and stated the obvious. "Dan, you're a horrible liar"

"I – I know" Daniel said. "I'm basically an…open book"

"I'm not up for another game" Frank said. "Charlotte, you're kicking my ass"

"We can play War while Frank regains his pride" Charlotte studied Daniel. When he voiced no objections, Charlotte dealt the cards.

"Frank, how - -how'd you get into this? Being our pilot?" Daniel asked as he began his game with Charlotte.

"I'm not really sure. I was watching the news when they were talking about Oceanic 815, and I was convinced that it wasn't real as soon as I saw the pilot. I knew the pilot, so I called Oceanic and basically told them that it was a hoax. A few days later, some guy named Matthew Abbadon is visiting me and offering me this job" Frank summed up the events that had gotten him on the freighter.

Charlotte spoke up. "So you think they didn't find Oceanic 815?"

"Exactly. It's just too convenient" Frank replied.

"I thought something was off when I heard about it. I was in Tunisia, and I heard about it through the local newspaper. I just read it over and over again" Charlotte stated. "What about you, Dan?"

"Oh…I - -I watched it, and I did some…calculations. The location of the plane is off, considering how long they had been flying. I wasn't sure what that meant" Daniel replied, and smiled as he realized he had just gotten more of Charlotte's cards. Daniel then proceeded to go into an in-depth explanation, basically explaining his calculations and why he thought there was a discrepancy.

Charlotte let Daniel speak without any interruptions. He had noticed that during their nightly talks, he explained a lot about physics to her. Those discussions seemed to have benefited her, because she appeared to be following what he was saying pretty well. Frank, on the other hand, looked completely lost.

Naomi approached their table, Miles trailing a short distance behind her. "Everyone, follow me. I want to explain some things to you before I leave. Since I'm leaving right after lunch, we don't have much time"

Once they got to the meeting room, Naomi began talking before they had a chance to sit down. "I have some things I need to give you" She opened a pack, and pulled out four bullet-proof vests and four guns. "These are for you, when you go to the Island. I'll give you a brief tutorial on how they work, but if you have any problems talk to Keamy. He's the best shot on this freighter. It's just for precaution, but I'd feel more comfortable if you know how to use the guns. When you get to the Island, I want you to wear the vests. Again, it's for precaution"

Daniel exchanged looks with Charlotte. She looked a little apprehensive, and Daniel remembered what they were expected to do once they got to the Island.

Naomi glanced around the room, and shut the door firmly. "There's one more thing. You may meet survivors of Oceanic 815. My employer has assured me that there are no survivors, but I'm not convinced. Be on your guard when you get there"

The group stayed in the room a little longer. Naomi gave them a brief rundown on how to load guns, how to shoot, and how they work in general. She also handed them a list of all the codes she wanted them to know. Then, she glanced at the clock on the wall. "I have to leave soon. I'll contact George when it's time for you to follow"

A week had passed, and although Naomi had spoken to George the team was not given the go ahead to leave the freighter. The days were spent as they previously had been. Charlotte and Daniel's midnight meetings had not stopped, and Daniel still did various experiments. He was trying to see how time behaved this close to the Island, but he did not notice any discrepancies. Daniel noticed that Frank spent his time working on the other helicopter, and making sure it was in perfect condition for the flight to the Island.

The eighth day she was gone, people seemed to be on edge. Daniel had no idea what was going on to make everyone act that way. Charlotte was just as clueless as he was. Just after dinner, Miles rushed up to them. "Minkowski wants us in the communications room. Now. I've got to find Frank, but you two better get there"

As Miles rushed off in one direction, Charlotte and Daniel ran the way he came. This was it. They were going to the Island. They burst into the communications room, and Regina and George Minkowski both appeared to be jumpy.

"What's going on?" Charlotte asked. Daniel wanted to ask as well, but he had a feeling that whatever happened wasn't good, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know or not.

Regina shook her head. Minkowski said "I'll tell you when Miles and Frank get here"

Charlotte and Daniel sat in silence until Frank and Miles showed up. Minkowski looked up as he heard them enter. "You guys are going to the Island as soon as possible. Get everything ready"

"Naomi…she said we could come?" Daniel asked. A feeling of dread had settled over him.

"Naomi said 'tell my sister I love her'" Regina told them.

Charlotte let out a strangled gasp. Daniel couldn't remember what that meant immediately, but as soon as it hit him he put his arm around Charlotte, attempting to offer some form of comfort. He knew she was upset, or at least in shock. Naomi and Charlotte weren't close, but they had shared a room. You get to know a person when you live with them. Instead of shrugging off his arm, Charlotte visibly relaxed at his touch, becoming focused again.

Miles took charge. "Go get everything together, and meet at the helicopter as soon as you're ready to go. No stalling"

Charlotte nodded, and Daniel removed his arm. They all rushed back to their rooms to get everything together. Daniel put on the bullet proof vest, and packed his bag quickly. He threw in his SAT phone, and he attached a GPS transponder to his parachute vest. He was about to leave, when he realized the journal wasn't in his bag. He immediately put it in a smaller bag, along with a collection of pens and pencils, and attached that to his parachute vest. He took off his watch, because he wouldn't need it on the Island. He grabbed the gun cautiously. He wasn't sure what to do with it, so he just carried it. Frank and Miles were both still packing, so Daniel left without them. He arrived at the helicopter, and noticed Charlotte was already there.

She looked up at his approach. "You have everything?"

"Yeah. Do - -do you?" Daniel asked.

Charlotte studied his appearance. "Yeah. You're wearing your vest?"

"I - - I wasn't sure what else do to with it" he glanced at the gun in his hands. "Char, what should I do with the gun?"

Charlotte stood and took the gun. "Here, let me" She walked behind Daniel, and tucked the gun into the waistband of his pants. Daniel's breath hitched at her touch, and he hoped that she hadn't noticed. Charlotte walked to her original location, and sat back down "That's the easiest place for you to put it. It's mostly out of sight, yet you can still get to it if you need to"

"Th – thanks" he sat next to her. "Miles and Frank should be here soon…they looked like they were almost done when I left"

"Good. The sooner we find out what's going on over there, the better" Charlotte replied. The two sat in a comfortable silence, but it was broken as soon as Miles and Frank showed up.

"You ready to go?" Frank asked. Charlotte and Daniel both stood and nodded in response.

They climbed into the helicopter, and prepared themselves for takeoff. Before they took off, Daniel said "Frank, you have to fly in on bearing 305. No other one. It – it's extremely important that you stay on that bearing"

"I'll do that" Frank replied. Then, the team took off.

The flight was going well at first, but then they hit a storm. The machines in the helicopter began to go haywire when lightning struck too close to it. They began to lighten the load on the and threw out the majority of the equipment, knowing that they would look for it later. Frank didn't feel that the helicopter would land safely, though, and advised the others to jump out.

Charlotte and Miles went to put on their vests, but Charlotte couldn't find hers. She grew panicked, and Daniel helped her look. After a few moments, she shouted in frustration "I can't find my vest"

"Check under your seat" Miles completely disregarded that Charlotte had already done that. When Charlotte told him, he shoved his at her. Daniel assumed that Miles was hoping to shut her up.

Frank was becoming frantic as well. "Everyone out now!"

Since Daniel was already ready, he was the obvious choice to go first, but he didn't want to leave Charlotte. After a short argument with Miles, Miles got impatient and pushed Daniel out of the helicopter.

Daniel took a deep breath and released his parachute, but he still hit the ground rather hard, and it winded him. He detached the parachute from the vest, and hoped that he'd see Charlotte again soon.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 14

Daniel studied his surroundings. He had landed in a jungle of some sort. It was pouring, so his vision was somewhat distorted. He heard noises and, remembering what happened to Naomi, he frantically searched for his gun. Once he realized it was still where Charlotte put it, he relaxed and pulled off his helmet just as two unfamiliar people came into sight. While on the way to the Island, Miles had told Charlotte and Daniel about how Naomi's SAT phone was being used be survivors of Oceanic 815, and one of the people who used it was named Jack.

Trying not to stutter, he greeted the man, and asked if he was Jack. The man and woman exchanged shocked glances, and the man confirmed Daniel's assumption. Jack then asked who Daniel was, and Daniel again tried not to stutter as he introduced himself, and said he had come to rescue them. There was no point in telling the two why he was really there.

The rain stopped suddenly, and Daniel began to walk, looking for either his pack or someone from his team, specifically Charlotte. Jack asked how many people were on the helicopter. Daniel answered, but he was distracted. He couldn't find his phone, and he had no way of finding Charlotte without it. Since he was distracted, he began to stutter. When they handed him Naomi's phone, he contacted George. He was on speakerphone initially, and as soon as he asked if he was, Daniel realized that that was a mistake.

He walked away from Jack and the woman, and took George off speakerphone. "Okay, you're off" Daniel whispered.

"What the hell were you thinking, having me on speakerphone? The people you're with could've been the ones who killed Naomi" George was angry, and Daniel couldn't blame him.

"I made a - -a mistake, I know" Daniel replied. George was silent, so he continued. "Has Charlotte contacted you yet? Or - -or anyone else?"

"Not yet, Dan. Use the SAT phone to find them. Lock in on their GPS transponders. You'll probably find them faster than us sitting around waiting to hear from them" George spoke, seemingly calmer.

"Okay. Thanks. I'll do that" Daniel went to hang up, but George spoke again.

"Let me know when you find them" George sounded concerned for the other members of the team.

"I will" Daniel replied, and then hung up. He walked back to Jack and the woman, and explained the situation. They agreed to help him find everyone else, and Daniel wasn't sure how these people could be responsible for Naomi's death. These people seemed friendly and helpful, not like killers. They began to walk again, trying to find someone even though the phone hadn't picked up any signal from the GPS transponders.

He became uneasy when the woman said that most of their people were at the beach. Maybe the person responsible for Naomi's death was somewhere else. If that was the case, he hoped that person wouldn't encounter Charlotte.

He began to mess with the phone, trying to find someone from his team. While waiting for results, he looked up at the woman. "Hey" Daniel attempted to get her attention.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"I - -I was wondering…what's your name?" Daniel felt it was best if he knew, even if there was a chance he couldn't remember it.

He thought he saw a smile appear at his question, but he wasn't positive. "I'm Kate"

"It's…nice to meet you, Kate" Daniel looked up from the phone, and noticed that she was definitely smiling.

"You too, Daniel" Kate walked over to Jack, and Daniel began to work with the phone again.

They continued traveling, and Kate noticed a piece of equipment and walked towards it. She asked if it was from the helicopter, and Daniel got extremely nervous. He answered quickly, hoping they wouldn't open it. Jack did anyway, and pulled out a gas mask and asked what it was for. Daniel panicked internally at the visible reminder of what he was supposed to do.

He wasn't a good liar. Hopefully they wouldn't see through him like Charlotte could. Daniel replied, but Jack didn't fully believe him. He tried to change the subject, but Jack asked why Daniel had a gun. Daniel got more nervous when he realized Jack had seen it. Sweating, Daniel decided to partially admit what they were there for. "Uhh…okay, see ummm…rescuing you and your people, can't really say it's our primary objective" Jack asked what was, but then the phone began to beep.

'Saved by the bell' Daniel thought. His heart sank when he realized that it wasn't Charlotte, but he was still glad he found a team member. "It's Miles. It's Miles. Come on!" Daniel took off, and Jack and Kate were forced to follow.

They came across Miles lying near the shore, not moving. Daniel called out to him, and became nervous when he didn't answer. When Jack took off his helmet and Miles still didn't move, Daniel expected the worst. Kate wondered out loud if he was dead, and suddenly Miles whipped out a gun and pointed it directly at Jack. Daniel moved to sprint towards Miles and he yelled out to stop him, but Kate held him back.

Instead, Daniel tried to reassure him from a distance. "They're here to help us, Miles" Miles still didn't drop the gun, so Daniel tried again. "It's okay, Miles. They're just trying to help"

Daniel jumped when Miles shouted at Kate to move away, and he realized that Kate was probably trying to get his gun. He still didn't think badly of them, though, because they had agreed to help him. They were probably just cautious.

Jack tried to reassure Kate that everything was all right, and Miles looked torn between keeping the gun on Jack and pointing it at Kate. Miles demanded to know where Naomi was, and her reply sounded slightly panicked.

Miles apparently didn't want to waste any time. "Naomi. The woman you killed. Where is she?" Miles demanded to know.

Daniel had enough of Miles' accusations, and he tried to diffuse the situation before it got any worse, and he ran down to Miles and Jack. "What are you doing? These are good people"

Miles didn't listen. He treated Daniel with contempt, as if he didn't know anything. He revealed that Naomi had used a code, what it was, and what it meant. Daniel was scared that Miles would kill one of them. Jack tried to explain to Miles that they weren't the ones who killed Naomi, but Miles seemed unwilling to listen. All he demanded was to see Naomi's body.

Daniel understood why. Miles could talk to people's spirits, and he could either prove that they were telling the truth or lying. Daniel tried to reason with him, knowing it could wait. "Miles, what about Charlotte?" Daniel wanted to plead, but he restrained himself. "What about Frank?"

Kate seemed scared, and told Miles who killed Naomi. The man's name was John Locke, and he wasn't a part of Jack's group anymore. Daniel's earlier assumptions were confirmed. He wanted to find Charlotte before she ran into this person, but he didn't think he'd find her anytime soon. Miles had gotten his way, and they were on their way to Naomi's body.

While Miles was communicating with Naomi, Daniel was observing his surroundings. "The light…is strange out here, isn't it? It's kinda like…it doesn't scatter quite right"

Daniel noticed Kate looking at him like he was crazy, but he was used to those looks and it didn't bother him. Kate ignored his comments, and tried to get him to put away his gun. Daniel refused, saying that Miles would kill him if he did. Kate probably thought he was exaggerating, but Daniel was sure what he was saying was the truth. Miles confirmed that this Locke person was the one who killed Naomi, and Daniel hoped he'd be a little nicer to Jack and Kate.

The phone beeped again, and when Daniel saw that it was Charlotte he wanted to take off immediately. "It's Charlotte. She's only three kilometers from here" Miles grabbed the phone out of Daniel's hands, but Daniel hardly cared. He was going to see Charlotte soon.

Miles went to leave, but Jack said they had to put the guns down before they did anything. When Miles asked why, Jack said that they had people holding guns at their heads. Miles didn't believe him, but Daniel wasn't so sure. Miles refused, and a gun was fired. Miles and Daniel both ducked, and they watched as two people emerged from the trees. Kate took Daniel's gun, and he didn't fight her. He didn't feel right holding it, anyway.

They began to walk, and were introduced to the two newcomers: Juliet and Sayid. Daniel was looking for Charlotte, and although he was speaking he had no idea what he was saying. Daniel became aware of the conversation again as soon as Miles got sarcastic. "Oh my God, you guys were on Oceanic flight 815?! Wow!" Miles glared before continuing. "That better?"

"Miles, do you think you could...try to be nice to them? They're helping us find Charlotte. They didn't kill Naomi, so give them a break" Daniel was exasperated. He just wanted to make sure Charlotte was okay.

"You forgot Frank" Miles gave him a knowing look.

"Wh - -what?" Daniel became flustered. He didn't even realize he forgot about Frank.

"I know there's something going on with you and Charlotte" Miles stated it as if he said something that was completely obvious.

Daniel noticed the others appeared curious, and he became even more flustered. "There's no - -nothing going on"

"Dan, how stupid do you think I am?" Miles then immediately turned to Jack. "Don't answer that" He turned back to Daniel. "You guys were always together on the freighter. She gave me a black eye the first day for calling you a head case. She broke another guy's nose for insulting you. She told off anyone she overheard making fun of you. And, I followed you one night. You guys sat on deck for at least two hours. I asked Frank about it, and he said you leave every night"

Daniel looked uncomfortable. Miles was distracted, and loosened his grip on the SAT phone. Sayid grabbed it, and started to do something with it. What Miles had been saying was wiped from his mind, and he warned Sayid to not mess with it, and told him to not call someone. Sayid stopped, and Miles immediately assumed he had done something to the phone. Sayid said that he didn't do anything, and that Charlotte was moving straight towards them pretty fast.

Jack said "She's running from something" and started to run. Daniel was right behind him, but avoiding trees slowed him down a bit and Sayid pulled ahead. They stopped, because the phone indicated that Charlotte was close. Kate had a gun pulled out, and even though Daniel knew he should stay quiet, he began to call for her. He was scared, but she was so close to him.

A dog emerged from the bushes, wearing Charlotte's transponder around his neck. Jack said that Locke must have her, and a sense of terror and helplessness washed over Daniel. Locke had already killed Naomi. What was stopping him from killing Charlotte as well?

Anger swept over him, and he turned towards Miles. "This is all your fault. If you hadn't insisted on seeing Naomi, Charlotte would probably be with us right now, instead of with a - -a killer. Why did you have to be so stubborn? I knew…I knew they hadn't killed her, but you…you didn't believe me. I know you think I'm - -I'm crazy, a head case, and maybe I am, but you should've - - should've at least…" Daniel noticed Miles' shocked face, and he sunk to the ground in defeat.

Jack sighed. "Daniel, I know you want to find her, but pointing fingers isn't going to get her back any faster"

Daniel knew he was right, and he knew that Charlotte would be all right for the time being. According to the journal, she didn't die her first day on the Island. "You…you're right. Uhhh…Sayid? Am I right?" Daniel asked, looking at the man holding the phone.

"Yes. What is it?" Sayid asked.

"Can - - can I see the phone? I want to contact a man on our freighter, and let him know I found Miles" Daniel asked.

Sayid looked at Jack. "No" Jack said. "Not until we know what you're doing here"

Miles looked at Daniel. "We should probably wait until we find Frank, at least" As soon as Miles finished speaking, a flare lit up the sky.

Daniel stood up and said "Well, I think we just found Frank"

The group determined what direction they should travel, and they set off. When they came across Frank, he was lying in the grass, and the helicopter was nowhere in sight. When Kate caught sight of him, she groaned. "Not again"

"He won't do what I did" Miles said. "He doesn't have a gun"

Daniel became confused. "Naomi gave us all guns"

"He couldn't find it. That's why we took so long meeting up with you and Charlotte" Miles explained.

Daniel nodded in understanding, but the group still looked unsure, so Daniel decided to clarify. "Frank, he's - -he's a good guy. He…won't do anything like what Miles did"

Jack studied Frank, and then started to walk towards him.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Kate called out. "Remember last time?"

"They just said he doesn't have a gun, Kate" Jack seemed mildly amused, and continued on his way. Daniel followed him. Maybe Frank knew where Charlotte was. The rest of the group decided to approach Frank as well.

Jack took his pulse, and Daniel asked if he was alive. Jack answered in the affirmative, and Frank woke up. Frank explained to Miles and Daniel what happened, and Daniel couldn't hold back anymore. He asked about Charlotte, and Frank told him she jumped out, and that he didn't know where she was. Miles then asked about where the helicopter crashed.

"Crash? The hell kind of pilot d'you think I am? I put her down safe and sound right over there." Frank replied. Daniel couldn't help but think that Charlotte would've enjoyed watching this. Miles had been insulted more than once. The group, Frank included, went to the direction Frank indicated, and they saw the helicopter sitting relatively unharmed on the grass.

"Did you guys find Naomi?" Frank asked.

"Yeah" Miles answered. "No one in their group killed him. It was a man named John Locke, and he's not with them anymore"

"And you made sure of this?" Frank wanted to make sure.

"Yeah" Then Miles looked at Jack. "Can I have the phone?"

"No" Jack said.

Kate spoke up. "We should bring Naomi back here. She should go back to the freighter"

Daniel considered her idea. "I - -I'll go" He thought that there was a possibility of him finding Charlotte if he went with her.

Jack nodded. "That's a good idea. And while you're gone, Sayid can check out the chopper"

"Hey" Frank said. "I'm perfectly capable of doing that"

"You're hurt. I want to make sure you're okay" Jack said.

"We're going to go get her now" Kate said.

"Kate, be careful" Jack said. Kate nodded, and then left with Daniel.

They walked in silence for awhile, then Kate felt the need to speak. "The other member of your team, Charlotte, is there something going on between you two?"

"Wh - -no. No. We're…friends. Miles, I think he's still mad about her giving him a black eye. He…doesn't like me all that much. It - -it's normal that he'd…blame me for it" Daniel replied. "If I'm not overstepping anything, what about you and Jack?"

"Jack and I, it's complicated" Kate responded. "Very complicated" Daniel nodded, and they walked the rest of the way in silence. Once they reached Naomi, they rigged up a stretcher and decided to use that to carry her back. They returned to the group in silence, only talking when necessary. The entire trip, Daniel kept watch for Charlotte, but he didn't see her.

When they returned, Sayid appeared to be finishing up with the helicopter. They were still a far distance away when they saw Jack hand Miles the phone. Kate spoke "Want to take her over to the chopper?"

"Yeah…she should…get off here soon" Daniel replied.

When they approached the helicopter, Miles stopped them. They got into a discussion over whether she should be put on the helicopter or not, and it was decided that she would go on the second trip.

The second woman, Juliet, was cleaning up Frank's injuries, and they appeared to be getting along. Then, Frank called over to Miles that Juliet wasn't on the plane. Miles walked over, and demanded to know where someone was. Juliet was confused, and Miles lost his temper and revealed that they were on the Island for Benjamin Linus.

"He's with Locke" Juliet said.

"Why's he with Locke? Is Locke working with him?" Miles asked.

"No" Kate said. "Locke's holding him prisoner"

Daniel was intrigued. "Se - -seriously?"

"Unless he managed to escape" Sayid stated. "He's good at that"

"Hey, Doc" Miles addressed Jack. "What's he talking about?"

Jack sighed. "This isn't the first time he's been a prisoner. When we first met him, he said his name was Henry Gale and that his hot air balloon landed here. We realized he was lying, so we kept him as a prisoner and tried to get information out of him"

"What happened?" Daniel asked. He wanted to know what Linus was like.

"He managed to escape" Sayid stated. "We tried to find him, but that's when he captured Jack, Kate, and another one of our people. They managed to get away as well"

"And this guy…Locke. What's he like?" Daniel didn't want to ask, but he wanted to know about the person Charlotte was with.

Jack chuckled. "He's different, that's for sure. One of the best hunters we had. We're not sure of his past, but he had a suitcase full of knives with him on the plane" Daniel paled, and Jack continued. "He's generally a decent guy. He only killed Naomi because he didn't want you guys coming here"

"Do - -do you think he'd do anything to Charlotte?" Daniel asked.

"I don't think so. Locke doesn't normally hurt people. Chances are, she'll just be kept as a prisoner" Kate said.

"Isn't that something to worry about?" Frank asked.

"No" Jack replied. "I'd be more worried if he was Sayid's prisoner"

"Why's that?" Miles asked. Daniel didn't want to hear anymore, but his curiosity won out.

No one spoke. Instead, they all looked at Sayid. "I was in an intelligence officer in the Iraqi Republican Guard" Daniel, Miles, and Frank were not sure why that would make Jack worried. Sayid must have noticed, so he continued speaking. "I was a torturer"

Jack noticed their discomfort. "We should figure out a way to get Charlotte back"


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 15

Daniel observed the group as Miles immediately changed the subject back to Ben. Daniel didn't really care about that. Instead, he observed Sayid. The man did not seem like he could be a torturer. He watched as Sayid knelt down by the helicopter. He looked like he was praying, but Daniel couldn't be sure. Sayid walked over to Naomi's body, and Daniel thought Sayid closed her eyes.

He heard Miles say Charlotte's name, and Daniel directed his attention back to the main conversation. Jack, Miles, and Kate were arguing about what to do. Miles wanted to barge into Locke's group and grab Charlotte, but Sayid joined in and told Miles that he wasn't going anywhere. Sayid immediately directed his attention to Frank and asked if the helicopter would fly. When Frank replied in the affirmative, Sayid told Frank to take him to the freighter. Frank agreed to take three of them.

Daniel was about to remind Frank about Charlotte, but Miles beat him to it. "In case you zoned out while you were tweezing your goatee, one of these yahoos took Charlotte prisoner"

Sayid said that he'd be able to get Charlotte back, and Frank said that once Charlotte was with them he'd take Sayid off the Island. They spoke for a few more minutes, but Daniel left the clearing to remove the vest. When he returned, he threw the vest in the helicopter, sat down, and began to read the journal. He remembered an experiment being described, and if he could find the specifics he'd like to re-do it. He found the page just as Miles said that he wasn't going to let Sayid go alone. Daniel smiled. On the page, written in small letters in one corner it read _Charlotte's back and safe. They traded Miles for her._ When the group left, Daniel glanced up. Kate was going with Sayid and Miles.

Once the group disappeared from sight, Daniel set down his journal and began to search through the helicopter for some of his equipment. When they were throwing things off, the group had overlooked his equipment. He pulled out a large metal pole and a briefcase.

While he was setting up his equipment, he realized that Jack and Frank were talking about him. He smiled a bit at Frank's comment. "Half the stuff he says goes way over my head, the other half goes way, way over". It reminded him of a conversation he had with Charlotte on the freighter a few days earlier.

"_Char, how come Frank doesn't…help me with my - -my experiments anymore?" Daniel asked. "I - -I know he doesn't think I'm a…head case, but he doesn't help me now"_

_Charlotte chuckled. "He doesn't understand what you're saying when you're doing them. It probably goes over his head"_

"_Doesn't it go over your head?" Daniel was confused at her explanation._

"_It did in the beginning. Now, I'm able to follow your train of thought, mostly. That makes helping you a lot easier. And more fun" Charlotte smiled._

"_Why…didn't you stop helping when you didn't understand?" Daniel wasn't sure why she kept helping if she didn't understand at first._

"_You're my friend, Dan. And whether you believe it or not, you're still a pretty good teacher" Charlotte pulled out a deck of cards and smirked. "Want to find Frank and play a game of Bullshit?"_

Daniel surveyed his equipment, and realized that he needed to call the freighter for the experiment to happen. He walked over to Frank and asked him for the phone. He didn't want to interrupt the conversation, but it didn't seem like Frank or Jack had a problem with his intrusion. Frank gave him the phone with specific instructions: if Minkowski got on, he needed to hang up.

Daniel called Regina with ease, and she fired the rocket. When it should've been close enough for him to see it, he became concerned. When it should've landed and it still wasn't in sight, he told Regina what happened. "I don't have it"

Regina sounded puzzled as well. "That's weird"

Daniel was still searching the sky, and it replied with "That is…far more than weird"

"It'll get there, eventually" Regina said.

"Yeah…maybe" Daniel was distracted.

"I've got to go. I'll talk to you later" Regina sounded hurried, and she hung up immediately after.

Daniel returned the phone to Frank, before picking up the journal and leafing through it. The journal had no mention of the payload arriving late, and Daniel wasn't sure if it had faded over time, or if had never been written.

Jack and Frank began to sort through the things left in the helicopter. Jack was asking Frank about everything that had happened since they crashed on the Island, and Frank answered as best he could. A high-pitched whistling interrupted the conversation. Daniel was excited to realize that the payload was finally showing up. He glanced at his two companions. Frank looked as if he didn't care one way or the other, while Jack looked completely shocked.

Ignoring their reactions, he ran towards it. It took a lot of force to pull it out of the ground it had lodged itself in, and unscrewed it. "What is that?" Jack asked.

"It's a rocket" Daniel answered. He pulled out a timepiece, and reading it he realized something was off. He ran to the timer attached to the tripod and compared the two. "Thirty-one minutes" he whispered softly. He glanced around instinctively for Charlotte, before he remembered that she wasn't with him. He looked at the timers again and murmured "Oh, no. This is not good"

Daniel's thoughts were interrupted by Frank announcing that some people were back. He immediately looked around for the people approaching. Once he realized that it wasn't the group that went for Charlotte, he went back to the journal and wrote in the results of the experiment. He flipped through to see if the results were written anywhere else, but he couldn't find anything else related to it.

Daniel began to dismantle his equipment to load it back on the helicopter. The rocket arrived, and he didn't want it to leave it out any longer. He was just placing everything in the briefcase when Sayid returned with Charlotte. As soon as Daniel noticed Charlotte, he stood up and began to move towards her, but he didn't want to appear too eager. He noticed she looked mad, and he made a mental note to ask her about it later. He also noticed Miles was gone, but he didn't really care.

Kate was gone as well. Jack looked a little betrayed when Sayid said she decided to stay. Frank asked where Miles was. Daniel already knew, thanks to the journal. He studied Charlotte's appearance. Besides being angry, she seemed okay.

When she began to move again, Daniel couldn't hold back any longer. He walked to her side, and put an arm around her.

"Hey" he said softly, trying not to draw to much attention to them.

"Hey" she said. She still looked angry, but her voice was gentle and he saw a hint of a smile on her face.

"You all right?" Daniel was extremely concerned. He wanted to know what had happened, but he knew it could wait.

"Yeah" Charlotte replied. He handed her a bottle of water and was going to say something else, but Frank spoke before he had a chance.

Frank asked Charlotte if she wanted to go back, and she answered in a way typical of her, filled with sarcasm. She said no, which cemented Daniel's decision as well. If Charlotte stayed, he'd stay. When he told Frank his choice, Frank looked as if he knew all along that would be Daniel's answer, and he stepped back in a way that read 'Why'd I even ask?'.

Daniel ran after him, and softly told him again that he needed to fly out on the exact same bearing he flew in on. He also handed Frank a piece paper, explaining the bearing. He walked back to Charlotte, still clutching the briefcase.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, and Frank approached them, appearing somewhat amused. "Hey, I'm loading the chopper. Want me to take that case, Dan?"

"Wh - -what…oh, yeah. That'd be good" Daniel handed Frank the case.

"Why do you have the case out?" Charlotte questioned Daniel. "You said that equipment's expensive"

"It is. I - - I did an experiment. I had Regina fire a rocket from the ship to...here. When it finally showed up, there was a - -a thirty-one minute difference" Daniel explained.

"That doesn't sound good" Charlotte replied. "Are you saying time passes differently here?"

"Definitely. I- -I'm not sure why, though" Daniel shook his head.

"Yeah" Charlotte glanced back at Sayid and Jack, cautiously eyeing the rifle. The two walked a short distance away and sat in the shade. "Thanks for the water"

"I - -I figured you'd need it. You'd been walking awhile" Daniel said. "Char…what happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" Charlotte asked, fixing her hair as best she could.

"The guy you were with, Locke. He - -he killed Naomi. Threw a knife at her back. And…he apparently had Linus with him" Daniel told her. "I was worried when Jack said you were with them"

"Who's Jack?" Charlotte wondered.

"He's…over there with - -with Sayid. He's a doctor, I think" Daniel was momentarily distracted, but then got back on topic. "What happened?"

"I was with a group of people. One woman had a baby with her. She said she had him on the Island. There was another guy, overweight with curly hair, with him too. They didn't seem like they agreed with Locke taking me as a prisoner. They seemed like good people, just scared" Charlotte looked at Daniel.

Their conversation was interrupted by the helicopter taking off. Once it was gone, Jack approached them, Juliet following close behind.

"Guys, we're heading back to our camp now. Let's get going" Jack said. Once they were all ready, the group walked back into the jungle.

Jack and Juliet were walking ahead, so Daniel decided to continue his conversation with Charlotte. "Something else happened, didn't it?"

"Linus was with the group. He looked like he had taken a beating. I was trying to leave to find you, and Linus somehow got his hands on a gun. He shot me. As soon as he did, another guy lunged at him and beat him up. It's a good thing Miles gave me his vest" Charlotte glanced at Daniel to see how he took the news.

"But - -but you're okay, right?" Daniel reached out and touched her arm, reassuring himself that she was with him.

"I'm fine. A little bruised, but nothing major" Charlotte assured him. "Anything exciting happen to you?"

"I - -I was shot at" Daniel said.

"What?!" Charlotte was about to give Jack a piece of her mind, but she tripped over a tree branch and Daniel steadied her.

"It was Miles' fault. He wouldn't put down his - -his gun. Jack had…two people in the woods with him. One of them shot the gun. It - -it didn't come anywhere near us. I…think it was just a - -a warning" Daniel's words calmed her down, but only slightly.

"Then I'm gonna kill Miles the next time I see him" Charlotte said, but Daniel was sure she was joking. She'd probably just give him another black eye.

"There's somthing else, Char" Daniel said seriously. "When we were...walking, we came across a...something fro the - -the helicopter. Jack opened it...he saw the - -the gas masks"

"What'd you do?" Charlotte glanced at Jack.

"I - -I told him that I wasn't in charge of the packing...and I wasn't sure why they - -they were there" Daniel looked at Jack as well, hoping he couldn't hear what they were saying.

"Quick thinking. Good job, Dan" Charlotte sighed. "You're going to have to remember where it was"

Daniel just nodded, as Jack and Juliet were glancing back at them occasionally. The two continued talking until they reached the beach. Daniel and Charlotte stopped suddenly, shocked at what they saw. It almost appeared that the survivors had set up a small community.

Jack walked ahead into the camp, greeted warmly by everyone. Daniel and Charlotte hung back, and Juliet did as well. After a few minutes of standing around, waiting to figure out what they were supposed to do, Jack returned. He nodded at Juliet, who nodded back and left without a word.

Daniel was extremely nervous, and he was sure Jack could tell. If he did, he didn't say anything. "Guys, I want to introduce you to the camp. Come on" Daniel and Charlotte followed Jack, not sure what to expect. Once they reached the fire, Jack cleared his throat and everyone stopped talking to look at him. "Everyone, this is Daniel Faraday and Charlotte Lewis. Their helicopter already took Sayid and Desmond to the freighter, and they'll be able to take us all home"

A Korean woman spoke up. "Jack, where's Kate?"

Jack swallowed nervously. "She decided to stay with Locke's group" WIthout another word, Jack left, gesturing for Daniel and Charlotte to follow. Murmers broke out as they left, but Daniel couldn't figure out what they were saying.

Once they were far enough away from the fire, Jack stopped. "I've found a place for you to stay while you're here. It belonged to one of the people that went with Locke. I doubt he'll be back. Do you mind sharing?"

Daniel and Charlotte exchanged glances, and Charlotte answered. "Not at all. We'll be fine"

Jack seemed to appear relieved. "That's good. Over there is our kitchen. We found a bunch of food in the jungle, and we keep it all there. We also eat fish and boar, and fruits that we find growing in the jungle. That tarp collects rainwater, and it's our drinking water. We keep the fire going all the time, because if we let it die out it'd be pretty difficult to start again. I'll take you to your shelter"

As they walked, Daniel noticed people watching them. Everyone looked wary, and not one person looked like they trusted them. Jack stopped at a tent that was five down from the main fire. "Here we are. I've got to go talk to everyone, explain who you are and why you're here. You should be welcomed pretty easily. We all want to go home, and you being here means that we will" Jack then left, and they noticed the crowd around the fire was growing bigger.

Charlotte and Daniel exchanged glances, and Daniel lifted the tarp that functioned as a door so Charlotte could go in. He followed, and the two sat down and surveyed their new home. It was just big enough for two people, and there weren't a lot of personal touches in it. Daniel noticed a book bag, and he opened it to find it empty. He threw his things in it, and he turned to see Charlotte holding some water bottles.

"We can go get water once the excitement dies down a bit" Charlotte said with a small smile. "Do you want to go for a walk? This tent is basically only big enough for two people to sleep in"

"Sure" Daniel replied. They left the tent, and walked down to the water's edge. Sitting down in the sand, Daniel spoke again. "What they've done here, it's - -it's pretty impressive"

"It is, actually. I don't know why, but I was thinking they'd be more like characters in _The Lord of the Flies_" Charlotte chuckled. "I'm an anthropologist. I should've known better" She began to play with her necklace again.

"Do…do you think they'll welcome us into their camp, or will they resent us?" Daniel stared out at the water.

"I don't know, Dan. I guess we'll have to wait and see" Charlotte pulled out her cards. "Want to play?"

"Sure. No point in - -in changing things now" Daniel replied. They turned to face each other, and the memory game began.

They played three times, and Daniel was showing improvement, but it wasn't consistent. Charlotte refused to let him get discouraged, though.

After the third round, Daniel looked at Charlotte. "I don't know why we do this. It- -it's not like this is helping"

"Dan, it is. You remembered Jack's name, Juliet's name, and Sayid's name. When we met, you had a hard time remembering how to get to the cafeteria". Charlotte encouraged him. "You are making progress, it's just happening slower than you'd like"

"I - -I hope you're right" Daniel glanced over in the direction of the kitchen. "It looks like everyone's breaking off into...smaller groups"

"Looks like it. Want to go get some water?" Charlotte stood up, with Daniel following shortly after.

"Okay" Daniel glanced back towards the ocean, then they began to walk towards their shelter. When they were halfway there, Juliet showed up with some food.

"Here" Juliet handed them what she was carrying.

"What's this?" Charlotte asked somewhat harshly, looking at what Daniel was now holding.

"Food. I'm relatively new here, too. I decided to bring you food tonight so you can avoid the stares for a little longer. Also, I wanted to make you feel welcome" Juliet said, looking at Charlotte curiously.

"Th – thank you, Juliet" Daniel spoke before Charlotte could say something. He knew it would be something sarcastic, and he didn't think Juliet would appreciate that.

"It's no problem" Juliet smiled warmly at Daniel, and walked away. Daniel and Charlotte continued to their shelter, and Charlotte reached for the bottles.

"Charlotte, I'll get the water. You should…relax. You're - -you're probably still in pain from being shot" Daniel reached over Charlotte's arm for the bottles.

She looked as if she wanted to fight him, but he could see the exhaustion on her face. "Thanks, Dan"

After filling the bottles, he arrived back at the tent to find Charlotte sitting outside with the food. Smiling, he sat down and they began to eat. After they finished, they went back inside and set up their makeshift beds.

Before they fell asleep, Charlotte said tiredly "I'm glad I'm with you right now. I wouldn't feel comfortable being by myself tonight"

Daniel reached out and stroked her hair. "I'm…glad you're with me, too. And…I'm really glad that - -that you're okay" He kept stroking Charlotte's hair until her breathing evened out and he was sure she was asleep. Then, he fell asleep as well.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 16

Daniel was the first to wake up. He didn't move, afraid to disturb Charlotte. He knew that if he left the tent, he'd probably wake her up. He took in her appearance, knowing that this was the only time he wouldn't have to worry about her catching him staring.

He eventually tore his eyes away, knowing that she'd wake up soon. He sat up and cautiously climbed out of the tent. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he had not woken up Charlotte. He walked to an empty part of the beach, and washed himself up the best he could.

He began to walk towards the tent, and noticed people watching him, but no one attempted to talk to him. He sighed, realizing that they weren't going to be welcomed easily. Glancing around, he noticed Charlotte standing at the water's edge, staring out at the ocean.

"Mor - -morning, Charlotte" Daniel said when he reached her side.

"Morning, Dan. Where'd you disappear to?" Charlotte replied.

"I - -I just took a walk down the beach a bit. I…didn't want to - -to wake you up. I didn't, did I?" Daniel was struck with the thought that he was the cause of her being awake now, and he hoped he wasn't.

"No, I just wasn't expecting you to be gone" Charlotte looked around and saw Juliet. It seemed to jog her memory. "I went to look for you, and I ran into Juliet. She showed me a stream that they use to wash up in"

"That's good. You'll - -you'll have to…show me where it is" Daniel realized that the idea of washing up in a stream was definitely more appealing than using the ocean. "Has anyone else…talked to you?"

"A few. Some people seem genuinely glad we're here. Other people seem to avoid us. The majority don't know how they should treat us. They're nice, but cautious and a little distant" Charlotte described the survivors in general terms.

"I'm…going to get some breakfast. Do - -do you want to come?" Daniel hoped that even though they were off the freighter, Charlotte would still eat with him.

"Yeah. I'm pretty hungry" Charlotte turned to go, took a few steps, then realized that Daniel hadn't moved. "Dan, are you coming?"

"Wh - -what? Oh, yeah…sorry. I was just…thinking" Daniel stumbled through the sand to catch up with Charlotte.

The two traveled past Jack, who was trying to call the boat. Charlotte smirked. "It looks like they're having issues getting through"

"Do - -do you think we should help?" Daniel made a move to double back.

"No. You said that Jack didn't want to hand over the phone yesterday. I doubt he'd be more willing to do it today" Charlotte said, and they reached the kitchen.

They were greeted by a friendly looking African-American woman. "Hi, you're the people from the boat?"

"Yeah" Daniel replied. "I'm - -I'm Daniel. That's…Charlotte"

"I'm Rose. I'm in charge of the kitchen. Do you want something to eat?" she offered.

"That'd be…great. Thank you…" Daniel trailed off, trying to remember her name. "Thank you, Rose"

"It's no problem. Here's everything we've got. If you have any questions, just ask" Rose looked at the two of them, then walked away.

Charlotte grabbed a box of cereal. "Think they have milk?" Daniel, mildly amused, just shook his head. She looked around for something that would function as a bowl, and then gave up and began to eat the cereal from the box. Daniel grabbed another box and followed her lead.

Charlotte suddenly began to search through what they had. "Want a smoothie?"

"We…don't have anything to make one with" Daniel wondered if the heat was beginning to get to her.

"Yes we do. I've learned how to improvise" Charlotte began to search through the kitchen, and began to work on the smoothie.

"If - -if you can, then I'll have some" A symbol on the cereal box caught Daniel's attention. "You…you see this symbol, on the box?" Daniel asked.

"What about it?" Charlotte was making quick progress with the smoothie.

"It's in the journal that I have. It's the symbol for the Dharma Initiative. I - -I can't remember anything else about it, though. I…think there's more in there about it, but I'm not sure. I…what are you looking at?" Daniel noticed Charlotte staring intently at something, her progress halted

"Jack, Juliet, and that Korean woman. They look worried" Charlotte said.

"It's…probably because they haven't heard from the people that went with Frank" Daniel guessed. "I'd - -I'd tell them there's nothing to worry about, but they wouldn't believe me, about the time thing. They - -they'd think I'm a head case. I'd…prefer not giving them that impression if - -if I can help it"

"Dan, if anyone thinks that, then they're insane" Charlotte smiled softly at Daniel, and she returned to her work. After a few minutes, she asked "Can you hand me that pineapple?"

A few minutes later, Charlotte had finished and Daniel watched as she took a taste. "Char, can - -can I try?" She handed it to him wordlessly, and he took a sip. "Wow. That's…really good"

"I told you" Charlotte said. The two finished the smoothie fairly quickly. "Dan, do you think you can show me where Jack found some of our equipment?"

"Equipment?" Daniel titled his head, then he realized what Charlotte was referring to. "Oh, equipment. Yeah, I - -I think so. Do you want to…look now?"

"Yeah, people aren't paying us much attention. This will probably be one of the only times we can leave without attracting attention" Charlotte reasoned.

"Okay…let me just go get my - -my bag. Do we have enough…water?" Daniel asked.

"We should. If not, there's probably a ton of streams running all over this Island" Charlotte said.

Ten minutes later, Daniel and Charlotte were attempting to leave the camp without drawing attention to themselves. They managed to reach the tree line without anyone noticing them, and as soon as they were out of view of the camp they began to relax.

After an hour of walking, Daniel realized that Charlotte was becoming frustrated. "Dan, we're going in circles"

"No, Char. We aren't. We're in - -in the jungle. It…just seems like we're going in…circles" Daniel trailed off as a stream came into view. "That…we didn't come across a stream yet" he pointed out.

"I knew that, Dan. Are you sure you know where we're going?" Charlotte sat down on a rock.

Daniel sat down next to her, and began to flip through his journal. "Yeah. It should be…" Daniel stood back up and began to turn in a circle. "It should be that way"

"Fine. Let's just go before someone there comes after us" Charlotte stood back up, and slipped.

Daniel heard a splash, and he turned to see Charlotte sitting in the stream. He couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing.

"It's not funny, Dan. I'm soaked now" Charlotte huffed, and then smirked as Daniel set down the journal and began to come closer to her. Sure enough, he slipped and fell in the stream as well, landing right next to Charlotte, who began to laugh as well.

Daniel stood up and reached down to help Charlotte up as well. They climbed out of the stream, and as Daniel put the journal in his bag he said "At least we're not…sweating now"

"The only bright side" Charlotte muttered.

They only walked for about ten more minutes when they came across the silver case. "Found it" Daniel announced, and Charlotte rushed to it and opened it, making sure the equipment was there.

"Dan, I've been thinking. Our best chance to get out of releasing the gas would be for you to…ummm…disable it" Charlotte suggested.

"Render it inert? You - -you're right. We should wait at least - -at least a day before we go do it. They - -they might get suspicious if we disappear…two days in a row"

"Yeah" Charlotte agreed. The two sat, regaining their energy. Then, they began the trek back to the beach.

When they returned, no one noticed that they had been gone, thankfully. Daniel wasn't sure how they'd explain their absence. From the look on Charlotte's face, it appeared as if she'd agree.

Charlotte turned towards Daniel. "Dan, there's something I want to do. I'll meet up with you later"

Daniel waved her off, and he walked towards the water's edge, sat down, and began to read the journal again. He knew people were going to begin to wonder about it, just as they did on the freighter, but he didn't care. When Charlotte returned, she had food.

"Char, what's this?" Daniel asked.

"Lunch. We missed the main meal, but I was able to grab some leftovers" Charlotte informed.

"We…missed lunch? It's…I had no idea" Daniel was surprised. It was rare that he missed meals anymore, but his caretaker at home might've had something to do with that.

"You need to remember to eat, Dan" Charlotte appeared concerned.

"It's - -it's fine. I'm…glad that you…look out for me, though" Daniel tried to let Charlotte know he appreciated having her around.

"It's no problem" Charlotte informed him, then sat in silence while he ate. As soon as he finished, Charlotte spoke again. "I want to show you something"

"What?" Daniel had no idea what she wanted to show him.

"Dan, don't ask questions. Come on" Charlotte stood up, and Daniel realized he had no other choice but to follow her.

He ran into Charlotte when she stopped moving, and then moved next to her so he could see what she wanted him to. She had managed to find a make-shift table and dragged two tree stumps over to act as chairs, and it was set up by a small fire pit. "Char…what's this for?"

"It's so we can play cards without sitting in the sand" Charlotte informed him.

The two just sat around the rest of the day, occasionally playing a game of war. After dinner, once it got dark, Daniel managed to use the main fire to light their smaller one, and they sat down to play the memory game.

Charlotte began to shuffle the cards, and Daniel noticed a difference. "The - -the cards. They're different"

"You noticed?" Charlotte said. "That's progress. I lost my deck. I looked all over, but I can't find it. I found these, instead" Daniel nodded. "Ready?"

"Yeah" Charlotte handed him three cards, and Daniel tried to memorize them. When time was up, he tried to remember them, but he kept being distracted by Charlotte, and how her hair looked in the firelight.

"Time" Charlotte said, startling Daniel. "Okay, tell me. What do you remember?"

"Uhhh…" Daniel said, trying to buy time to get the cards back in his memory. "Queen of diamonds. Then we…" Daniel trailed off, distracted again. "Six! Of clubs. Sorry. And then we have the…red ten of…hearts, maybe?"

Charlotte wordlessly flipped over the cards, allowing him to see how he did. He got the first two right, but the last one was the three of spades. "Two out of three. Not bad. Progress"

Daniel was frustrated again. "Char, two cards? That's progress?"

Jack interrupted their conversation to ask why no one was answering on the boat. Charlotte answered sarcastically. "We're here. How should we know? If they're not answering, they're probably…"

Jack looked annoyed at her response, and Daniel shot Charlotte a look, pleading her to tone down the sarcasm. Jack replied just as sarcastically as Charlotte. "Are you telling me there's only one line on that boat?"

Charlotte looked at Daniel, silently asking what she should do. Daniel averted his eyes, because he wasn't sure what to do either. Charlotte sighed, and continued. "There is another number that we're only supposed to use if it's an emergency" When Charlotte began to talk, Daniel looked back at her. Even though she was talking to Jack, her eyes never left Daniel's.

Juliet handed the phone to Charlotte and said "It's an emergency"

Charlotte looked back at Daniel, and he gave a small nod, telling her it was okay. He resigned himself to the fact that soon, Jack and Juliet would think he was a head case.

Jack said "Put it on speaker" and Daniel half rolled his eyes. He hid it well, but Jack didn't trust them. Charlotte glanced at Daniel, and began to dial.

Regina answered, and Daniel began to get worried. They hadn't heard from Minkowski in awhile. During her conversation with Regina, Charlotte still didn't take her eyes off Daniel. It was almost as if he was reassuring her, just as she was reassuring him.

The moment of truth occurred when Regina said "What do you mean they took off. I thought the helicopter was with you"

Daniel and Charlotte broke eye contact briefly to look at Jack and Juliet, and then they looked back at each other, having a silent conversation about how to deal with this revelation.

"Regina, could you have them call us as soon as they get there?" Charlotte asked.

"Of course. Charlotte, I've got to go" Regina hung up quickly. Jack and Juliet stormed off.

Daniel looked in the direction Jack and Juliet had gone, then looked back at Charlotte. "We should…" he trailed off, gesturing in the direction of their tent.

"Good idea" Charlotte said. She gathered the cards, and they quickly retreated to their tent. Daniel was too wound up about what had just happened to relax, and from what he observed Charlotte was, too. She kept alternating between playing with her necklace and shuffling the cards. Daniel was flipping through his journal, using a flashlight he found to help him see the pages clearly.

Once the camp grew completely silent, Charlotte said "I'm going to go for a walk so I can relax"

"Hol - -hold on. I'll come with you" Daniel shut off the flashlight, and the two left the tent and walked to the edge of the camp and sat down at the water's edge. They didn't talk. Instead, Daniel took comfort in Charlotte's presence. He knew that no matter what anyone thought of him, Charlotte would still stay by his side.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 17

Daniel was standing on a hill, trying to figure out where Charlotte was. When he saw her, he shouted her name and ran towards her. She was standing with Miles, and her hands were bound.

"You okay?" he asked, touching her arms and face to reassure himself that she was still there.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Charlotte replied, smiling at him.

Daniel began to untie her hands, and he heard Miles say something, but he wasn't entirely sure what it was. Once her hands were untied, her smile grew even larger and he reached out to stroke her hair. Suddenly, her expression changed and she began to stumble. Daniel's heart sunk, and he reached out to steady her. "Charlotte. Charlotte" Daniel tried to gain her attention.

Charlotte fell forward, and appeared to be having a seizure. Daniel began to panic, and he turned her over. She had a severe nosebleed, and Daniel felt his heart began to break. "Charlotte. Charlotte. Charlotte! No, no, no" he pleaded. "Look at…hey…look at me. Look at me"

Charlotte didn't respond. Trying not to cry, Daniel pulled her into his arms and held her close.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice calling his name. "Dan, Dan. Daniel, wake up"

He opened his eyes, and saw Charlotte staring at him, no blood in sight. "Charlotte" he breathed in relief, and without thinking he pulled her into a tight hug. "What happened?" he asked, still refusing to let go of her.

"It seemed like you were having a nightmare" Charlotte explained.

"Char, you…passed out. You were shaking…so much blood. I - - I thought....you were dead" Daniel realized he was shaking.

"Dan, I'm right here. It was just a dream" Charlotte reassured him.

Daniel broke the hug, but grasped her hand instead. "But…it was so real"

Daniel was rapidly calming down. Charlotte's presence caused the dream to fade away. After fifteen minutes, he could barely remember the dream. "All right, Char. I'm - -I'm good now. Thanks for…staying…" he trailed off.

"Dan, it's fine" Charlotte gave Daniel a small smile. "I'll show you the stream Juliet showed me yesterday so you can get cleaned up. Then, we'll get something to eat. Yeah?"

"Wh - -what about you?" Daniel stuttered, not sure how to phrase his question.

"I've been up for about a forty-five minutes now" Charlotte explained. "Come on"

Daniel followed Charlotte out of the tent, and she led him to a stream that was only a short distance from the camp. She left him alone, and Daniel quickly washed up. Even though he was calm, he didn't want to let her out of his sight for long. He emerged from the trees, and noticed Charlotte leaning against one, apparently waiting for him. He walked up to her, and lightly brushed his hand against her shoulder. Charlotte smiled, and the two walked to camp in silence.

Daniel and Charlotte had both eaten as soon as they returned, but he noticed Charlotte still appeared to be tired. He remembered seeing coffee in the kitchen, and he made her a cup. It was easy, considering water was already boiling. Apparently, other people had the same idea.

Charlotte stood by, watching Daniel's actions. When he had finished, he handed her the mug. "Here you go" and then poured himself one.

She smiled in thanks, and Daniel nodded. Jack looked up, and demanded to know why his friends hadn't called yet.

Daniel glanced at Charlotte, and she took charge of the situation. "I'm going to tell you again, the same thing I've been telling you all night, Doctor. I don't know. You heard the same thing I did when I called. What makes you think we know anything?"

"You're not worried" Juliet said simply. Daniel began to fidget. He didn't think anyone was paying close enough attention to them to notice how they were acting. Juliet continued. "Your boat's forty miles off the coast. It should've taken them, what, twenty minutes to get there? Why aren't you worried?"

"Should I wring my hands together and whisper a prayer on their behalf?" Daniel noticed the look in Charlotte's eyes and her tone of voice, and he realized he needed to diffuse the situation before she alienated Juliet and Jack.

Moving a little closer to her, he joined the conversation. "Hey, hey, hey. Come on. Maybe we should just - -just tell them"

"Dan, come on" Charlotte looked a little confused, and he understood. She was trying to keep everyone from thinking he was insane. Daniel preferred having them think he was than the alternative, which would be everyone disliking Charlotte. Jack said something, but Daniel ignored him. Instead, he was focused on Charlotte. "Dan, let's not confuse anyone" Charlotte said, and Daniel noticed the subtle plea in her words.

Juliet said something that Daniel missed as well, but he realized by the anger in Charlotte's eyes that she was about ready to punch Juliet. He spoke quickly, before Charlotte had a chance to move. "Your perception of how long your friends have been gone. It's not necessarily how long they've actually been gone"

Jack asked what it meant, and almost immediately after he finished speaking Charlotte jumped in. "This is a mistake"

"It'll be fine. It'll be fine" Daniel attempted to reassure both Charlotte and Jack. "As long as Frank flew on the bearings I gave him. If he stayed on it, it'll be fine"

Jack asked the question Daniel hoped he wouldn't. "What if he didn't?"

"Then there might be side effects" Daniel tried to be as vague as possible.

"What kind of side effects?" Juliet pressed for more information.

"It doesn't matter. Frank knows to only fly on Dan's bearing" Charlotte looked at Daniel, silently asking him to not say anything else. She led Daniel further away from Jack and Juliet, and whispered frantically. "Dan, now they're just going to worry more"

"And they weren't worried last night?" Daniel whispered back. "Maybe now they'll…stop asking us questions that we don't want to - -to answer"

"They won't. Now they'll just keep asking us more" Charlotte shot back. "Dan, you're not a good liar. They're going to figure that out. Once they do, they'll probably direct all their questions to you, and keep me from answering. It'd be better if we just kept quiet"

"Charlotte, I'm trying to make things easier for us here…for both of us" Daniel tried to explain his actions.

"What do you mean?" Charlotte demanded.

"They don't trust us, but we - -we want them to" Daniel didn't want to say that Charlotte was making it difficult for the survivors to trust them.

"Are you saying it's my fault they don't trust us?" Charlotte's voice began to get louder, but she caught herself and quieted down again. When Daniel didn't reply, she spun around and walked away.

Daniel was about to go after her when the SAT phone began to ring. He glanced at Charlotte, and noticed she had stopped in her tracks. Charlotte moved back to Daniel's side, their disagreement apparently forgotten, and they stood back listening to the conversation.

Based on what Jack was saying, it appeared to be one of the survivors letting Jack know that they were on the freighter. Then, Jack put the person on speakerphone and Daniel realized something out of the ordinary had happened. The man explained what happened, and Daniel realized that these were the side effects he had mentioned. Apparently, Jack had realized this as well.

Daniel began to think out loud, trying to piece things together. "Wait, your friend…Desmond? Has he recently been exposed to high levels of radiation or electromagnetism?" Jack and Juliet had no idea, so he tried to explain what happened in words they'd understand. "Okay, look. Uh, we don't know why, but going to and coming from the island, some people can get a little...confused"

Daniel glanced at Charlotte, and she gave him a small nod, confirming that so far Jack and Juliet were able to follow what he was saying.

Juliet tried to put it in words that were more familiar to her. "Is this amnesia?"

Daniel realized his response would confuse them, but he wanted to make sure they had their facts straight. He glanced over at Charlotte, then directed his attention back to Jack and Juliet. "No. This is not amnesia" Daniel suddenly had an idea. "I need to talk to…ummm…"

"Desmond" Charlotte reminded him softly.

"Desmond. I need to - -to talk to him. I'll…just be a second. Hold on" Daniel raced down towards his tent, grabbed his bag, and ran back to Jack and Juliet.

"Is he…?" Daniel gestured to the phone.

"Not yet. They're getting him" Jack replied.

They waited a few more minutes. "Daniel, what are you…?" Charlotte began to speak, but Daniel interrupted her.

"I'm going to help him" Daniel answered.

"Dan, how are you going to help him? Is this like what happened with Theresa?" Charlotte tried to figure things out.

Daniel vaguely remembered telling her about Theresa, but he couldn't remember the specifics of what was said. "This is exactly like what happened to Theresa. I know how to help him, though" Daniel couldn't remember meeting Desmond before, but he was sure he had. After all, you couldn't change the past.

"Hold on" Jack interrupted. "Who's Theresa?"

Before Daniel could explain, a person he assumed to be Desmond came onto the phone. They had a brief conversation, and once Desmond told him it was 1996 Daniel knew what he had to do. He told Desmond that he needed to go to Oxford to find him. Still talking to Desmond, he began to search through his bag for his journal while trying to explain what he was doing to Jack, Juliet, and Charlotte.

Daniel found the right page, and sighed in relief. "Desmond, are you still there?"

"Yes!" Desmond shouted.

"Okay, Desmond, listen. When you find me at Queens College, I need you to tell me to set the device to 2.342. Alright, you got it? 2.342! And it must be oscillating at eleven hertz. You got it Desmond?" Daniel tried to express the importance of Desmond remembering those numbers.

Desmond repeated the numbers, and Daniel got the feeling he was writing them down somewhere. He knew that wouldn't help, but he didn't say that. "Just remember that. 2.342 and eleven hertz, alright? And one more thing, Desmond. If the numbers don't convince me, I need you to tell me that you know about Eloise. Desmond! Tell me that you know about Eloise!"

Daniel waited for a response, but there was none. He handed the phone back to Jack, and put his journal back in the bag. "Who's Eloise?" Jack asked. "And who's Theresa?" Daniel ignored him, and began to walk away.

"It's not important" he heard Charlotte say. Then, he heard footsteps approaching him. Daniel looked, and saw Charlotte walking besides him.

"Eloise…she's a - -a rat I had. I used her to figure out time travel. She…she ended up dying. From a...brain aneurysm" Daniel explained. "I - -I never told…anyone about her, that I can remember"

"Why did you need your journal?" At Charlotte's question, Daniel stopped walking and pulled the journal out of the bag.

After he flipped to the right page, he showed her the writing. "See this…how the numbers are - -are clearer than the rest of - -of the writing?"

"Yeah" Charlotte replied.

"This…it was written in after everything else. The numbers…they were faded. I couldn't read them. I - -I didn't write this journal. I - -I got it when I…turned eighteen. My mother…she told me someone gave it to her to give to me when I was a kid" Daniel avoided looking at Charlotte. "You probably think I'm - -I'm crazy"

"No, I don't. Dan, I believed you about time travel. If I didn't think you were crazy then, why would I think you're crazy now?" Charlotte touched his arm to get his attention. "Come on"

They had walked to the edge of the camp when Daniel stopped suddenly. "He found me"

"Dan, what are you talking about?" Charlotte asked, turning to look at him.

"Desmond. He found me. I - -I remember meeting him now. At Oxford! He…just told me everything I told him to - -to tell me" Daniel knew he sounded crazy.

"Do you want to sit down for a bit?" Charlotte asked.

"Uhhh…yeah. You - -you don't have to stay with me" Daniel sat in the sand, hoping she didn't feel obligated to stay with him.

"I know" Charlotte sat down beside him anyway.

"Then why are…?" Daniel wasn't sure he wanted to know her answer.

"Because I want to, Dan" Charlotte said softly. Daniel almost didn't hear her. The two sat in silence. Charlotte stared out at the ocean, and Daniel allowed new memories to come to the surface.

He didn't move until he suddenly grabbed bag and bolted to a tree nearby. He knelt down, and began to flip through his journal. Written on a random page was '_If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant'. _Now, Daniel finally realized why that was written there. He heard Charlotte approaching, and he shut the journal before she could see what was written on the page.

"Dan, you just took off. Is everything okay?" Charlotte sat in the sand next to him.

"Everything's fine" Daniel glanced up at Charlotte and put his journal back in the bag. "I - -I was just thinking. We should go to - -to the station tomorrow to disable the gas. Their friends…they're on the freighter now. That means that they - -they won't be expecting us to…answer questions then, hopefully"

"That's a good idea. It's died down a bit now, but it might not last that way for very long" Charlotte understood what he was trying to explain, and Daniel was grateful for that. He didn't have to stumble over words, trying to find the right ones. "Hey, I'm going to go refill the water bottles that we've used. That way, it'll be easier for us to sneak out tomorrow"

Daniel nodded, and began to walk aimlessly down the beach. He stopped suddenly when he heard two of the survivors talking about Charlotte.

"She seems like such a bitch. I don't understand why that guy hangs out with her" the first one woman said.

The second one furthered the conversation. "She treats Jack and Juliet horribly. They're the only people that still try to be nice to her. She's completely unapproachable"

"And she's supposed to be one of the people that get us off this Island? I don't believe it" the first one laughed.

Daniel was horrible with confrontations, but he hated hearing people talk about Charlotte like that, so he approached the people. "Ex - -excuse me. I couldn't help overhearing"

The two women exchanged glances, and Daniel realized that they didn't care. "You mean about the ice queen that you hang out with?" the first woman said.

"Don't call her that" Daniel attempted to keep his voice steady. "Do you realize that when she got here, she ran into Locke's group? They took her prisoner. One of the people shot her. Do you wonder why she acts the way she does now? I - -I don't want to hear you talking about her again"

"What'll you do if you catch us?" the second woman wasn't convinced, but the first looked like she would back off.

Daniel tried to figure out what to say, and then he realized he should just do what he did on the freighter. He began to say a number of complicated equations, and the two women slowly backed away, looking at him like he lost his mind.

He stood still, surprised he had gotten the courage to defend Charlotte again. He had issues defending just about anyone, himself included. When it came to Charlotte, though, he acted different. He sat down, still thinking. Instinctively, he understood why this happened. He was in love with her, and he wanted to be the best person he could be for her. He wanted to be someone who deserved her.

Sighing, he stood and decided to talk a walk through the jungle. He wanted to make sense of the dream he had, and why it felt so real. He found a secluded spot in a clearing, and after sitting there for about an hour he had only come to one explanation that made sense. In the letter, it said Charlotte died. Maybe it was something that would happen if she didn't have her constant. Her symptoms in the dream were consistent with Theresa's.

Suddenly, Charlotte's voice filled the clearing. "Daniel. Daniel. Where are you?!" She sounded panicked.

Daniel jumped up and called out to her. "Charlotte, I'm here"

She rushed into the clearing faster than he had ever seen her move. "What the hell is wrong with you, Dan?"

"What…are you talking about?" Daniel looked at Charlotte, and she looked terrified and furious.

"You were gone. No one had seen you. You just disappeared into thin air. You've been gone for almost two hours" Charlotte seemed to be getting under control.

"I - -I needed to think about something. I came here so…it'd be quiet" Daniel explained.

"Dan, just don't do that again" Charlotte sighed.

"Okay. I'm sorry for disappearing. I was gone for…longer than I thought I'd be" Daniel apologized. Charlotte walked towards Daniel and pulled a leaf out of his hair. She held it up as if asking a question, and Daniel shrugged. "I have…no idea how that got there"

"Let's get back to camp. I didn't let anyone know you were missing. I didn't want people to be keeping a closer eye on us" Charlotte explained.

"So you looked for me by yourself. Char…that's not safe" Daniel became concerned.

"Disappearing without telling anyone where you were going isn't safe, either" Charlotte countered.

"We're - -we're even, then" Daniel determined.

"We're even" Charlotte looked at him, the leaf in her hand, and smiled. "Let's head back"


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 18

Daniel and Charlotte spent the morning preparing for their trip to the station. Daniel passed time by reading his journal, trying to see if there was a map to the station in it, or if it said anything about how to render the gas inert. From what Daniel could figure out, Charlotte was trying to gather as much food as possible without arousing suspicion.

By the time lunch was over, Charlotte had finished and they were sitting down at their table, playing the memory game. "All right. There is the ace of…hearts, ten of - -of clubs, and the…ummm…three of…diamonds?" Daniel tried to read Charlotte's face to see how he did, but her expression gave him no indication. She flipped the cards over to reveal what they were, and Daniel almost fell of his seat. He had gotten them all right.

"I told you that you were making progress" Charlotte said simply, and when Daniel caught her eye a small smile formed on her face.

"I - -I really am, aren't I?" Daniel was surprised. He looked around to see if anyone was near them, and he lowered his voice significantly. "I looked in my journal to see if there was…anything in there that would - -would help us. I found a map to the…station. It's called the…ummm…the Tempest. I didn't find anything telling me how to render the…gas inert, so…I'll - -I'll be on my own for that"

"What do you want me to do?" Charlotte asked.

"Uhhh…moral support" Daniel glanced up sheepishly. "And I think you could…keep watch for anyone coming. Maybe try to - -to distract them so I'll have…more time"

"I can do that" Charlotte assured him, and she began to put away the cards.

"We're…done?" Daniel watched her actions intently.

"We should go to our tent now. We'll wait in there for a bit, and then we'll sneak out when everyone's distracted" Charlotte explained.

"How…long will that be?" Daniel picked up his journal where he had put it earlier.

"I'm not sure, but we'll know when it happens" Charlotte got up and walked away. Daniel made sure he didn't leave anything at the table that he might need later, and he left as well.

He entered the tent to find Charlotte playing solitaire. "You play that a - -a lot" Daniel pointed out. He sat down and looked up to notice Charlotte watching him. "Why?"

"Why what?" Charlotte went back to her game.

"Why do you play…solitaire so much?" Daniel began to put the water and food Charlotte had gathered in his bag.

"I guess it's just a habit. I've spent a lot of time by myself, and playing solitaire became a way to pass the time" Charlotte explained.

"You - -you don't have to play that so much anymore" Daniel avoided looking at Charlotte.

"Why?" Charlotte looked at Daniel.

"Because…you're not - -you're not alone anymore. You have me" Daniel hoped he wasn't blushing.

"You know, that goes both ways" Charlotte's game was practically forgotten by both of them.

"I - -I know" Daniel looked up and immediately got lost in her eyes. They sat, eyes remaining locked. Then, a shout caused Charlotte to break eye contact. "I - -I think that could…be the – the distraction" Daniel stuttered.

"You're right" Charlotte appeared to be a bit flustered. "We should try to move as fast as possible. It'll give us more of a head start if they send people after us. I managed to grab a gun, and the SAT phone. They might be able to help". Daniel was still off balance and he didn't trust himself to talk. He nodded to let Charlotte know he heard her, and grabbed his bag. Charlotte sat by the tent entrance and peered out. "There's a fight going on down by the kitchen. Let's go"

They disappeared into the woods for a second time without anyone noticing and made it to the case Jack found faster than they thought was possible. Daniel raced ahead of Charlotte, and began to pack up the hazmat suits and gas masks in a bag that was tucked into the side of the case. He moved to put it on his shoulder, but Charlotte stopped him. "I'll carry it, Dan. You're already carrying the food and water"

"If it gets too - -too heavy, let me know" Daniel handed Charlotte the bag.

"I will" Charlotte replied.

The two realized that talking slowed them down, so they traveled in relative silence, only speaking when it was needed. After traveling for a few hours, thunder rumbled through the forest.

"We should probably find a place to wait out the worst of the storm. We only have a flashlight, and that won't be much help in the rain" Charlotte was slightly out of breath from their fast pace. "Also, we'll be able to eat and rest for a bit"

Daniel observed his surroundings, and pointed out a rather large tree. "How about there?"

"That's perfect" Charlotte spoke, and then froze when rain began to fall. "Come on"

The tree did offer protection from the worst of the weather, and while they ate they went over their plan. "So you'll disable the gas, while I make sure no one interrupts you. I just have a question. If someone manages to get in the station, what do I do?"

"Whatever's necessary. Chances are once I start to try to disable it…I'll only have a limited amount of - -of time before it's - -it's released" Daniel said, hoping it wouldn't come to that but knowing there was a large chance it would.

Charlotte began to look worried, but she disguised her fear almost immediately after Daniel noticed it. He pulled out his journal to check again for something that would help him, and once he flipped though almost all of it he noticed a weight on his shoulder. When he looked, he noticed Charlotte was fast asleep. Smiling, he abandoned his journal and alternated between watching Charlotte and keeping an eye on the weather.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the rain had slowed enough that they'd be able to travel safely in it. "Char, hey, Charlotte" he whispered, and gently shook her.

Charlotte stirred and blinked, looking at Daniel. "I fell asleep on you, didn't I?"

"Yeah. Don't…worry about it. I - -I think we can start moving again" Daniel gestured to their surroundings.

"You're right. How much time have we lost?" Charlotte asked while helping Daniel put the food and water in his bag.

"I - -I don't know" Daniel picked up the other bag before Charlotte could. "You're - -you're tired. I'll carry it"

Charlotte shook her head and repeated Daniel's earlier words. "If it gets too heavy, let me know" She then smirked in amusement.

About an hour after the sun rose, they stopped at a stream to study the map Daniel found in his journal. After a few minutes, Daniel spoke. "I think it's that way" He made no movement, and stared at the map. Then, he glanced at Charlotte. "But what happens if I…what if I can't do it?"

"Dan" he heard Charlotte say, but he made no move to look at her. "Look at me. I know you can do this" Charlotte's words filled Daniel with confidence. "Should we get going?" she asked.

Daniel nodded, speechless at first. "Yeah" he said when he finally found his voice. Their eyes met, and they exchanged small smiles.

They stood up, and Charlotte immediately spun around, pulling out the gun so fast that Daniel was taken aback. He turned to see who she was pointing the gun at, and when he saw who it was he immediately jumped in. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. It's - -it's okay. It's okay. It's Kate"

He watched as Charlotte thought it through, and then she gritted her teeth and lowered the gun. He then looked at Kate, who was staring at them in disbelief. "Kate" he called to her. "It's okay. Charlotte's not going to shoot you" Kate still seemed wary, so Daniel walked towards her. "Come - -come on. It's - -it's safe"

"Before I move, she needs to put away the gun" Kate called out.

Daniel looked at Charlotte. After a few seconds, she sighed and tucked the gun into the back of her jeans. He looked back at Kate, and watched as she cautiously walked towards the stream. Daniel walked back to Charlotte, who seemed annoyed with him for some reason.

"What…are you doing out here? I thought you were with...Locke's group" Daniel said.

"I was, but I decided I'd rather be on the beach" Kate dug a few water bottles out of her bag, and began to fill them up.

"Locke doesn't seem like the type of person that would just let someone leave" Charlotte watched Kate closely. Daniel could tell she didn't believe what Kate was saying.

"Maybe I gave him a reason to let me leave" Kate didn't look at either of them.

"What are you talking about?" Charlotte asked, staring down at Kate with her hands on her hips.

"I wanted to talk to Miles about something, but Locke wouldn't let me. I went behind his back, and Locke didn't like that I did that. He told me to leave, which was fine with me. I never intended on staying" Kate explained as she put her second to last bottle in her bag.

"So they have Miles?" Daniel tried to keep Kate from asking why they were in the jungle.

"Yeah, but he's fine. They're treating him fine" Then Kate paused. "I thought you two were with Jack at the beach. What are you guys doing out here?"

Daniel and Charlotte exchanged glances, and Daniel nodded his head telling Charlotte she was up. "Jack was trying to communicate with Sayid and Desmond on the freighter, but their SAT phone ran out of juice. It's totally dead. There's no way we can call the boat, so we volunteered to get the spare batteries out of the packs that we threw out of the chopper". Daniel had to give Charlotte credit. She was good at thinking on her feet.

Kate wasn't easily fooled, though. "So, if you threw your pack from the chopper, what's that?" she asked, referring to the bag Daniel was carrying.

"This? Uh…it's…just borrowed this" Daniel thought it was a believable explanation.

"Mind if I take a look?" Kate asked, and Daniel began to internally panic.

"Go ahead, Dan. Show her" Charlotte said, in a way that made Daniel realize she had a plan. Feeling a bit calmer, he handed Kate the bag.

Kate immediately opened it. "Batteries, huh?" she asked, pulling out a gas mask. "What's this for…ugh" she groaned, falling face forward onto the ground.

Daniel was shocked, and he looked up at Charlotte to see her holding a gun in her hand. He realized that she used the gun to knock Kate unconscious, and he stared at her in disbelief.

"What?" Charlotte asked.

"Is - -is she going to be okay?" Daniel looked down at Kate in concern.

"She'll be fine. I didn't hit her hard enough to cause any damage" Charlotte moved Kate off the bag and set her on her back. "Let's get moving" Charlotte walked off without a second glance.

Daniel grabbed the bag and hurried after her. "Why did you knock her out?"

"There was no other way. We couldn't take her with us, because she'd stop us. Knocking her unconscious was the only thing I could think of" Charlotte seemed unbothered by her actions.

"Charlotte" Daniel moved in front of her, halting her progress. "You could've seriously hurt her. I can't - -can't believe you…did that"

"Dan" Charlotte said softly. "I wish I didn't have to do what I did, but there was no other way"

Daniel looked in her eyes, and realized that she regretted hurting Kate. His anger immediately disappeared. "I - -I understand"

Charlotte smiled softly at his understanding, and they continued their trip to the Tempest side by side.

When they reached the Tempest, Daniel hesitated. He hung back, while Charlotte attempted to open the door. In frustration, she smashed the keypad and tried to manually opened it. The door was heavy, so Daniel dropped his bags and helped her. Once the door was opened, they stepped inside.

"We should…put the suits and masks on - -on now" Daniel suggested. Charlotte nodded, and the two quickly put the hazmat suits on over their clothes. They grabbed their masks, and ventured further into the tempest. They reached a walkway, and saw a computer down on the main floor. Charlotte found the steps to reach it with ease. Once they reached the computer, Daniel went to put on his mask.

Charlotte stopped him. "Dan, wait". He looked at her, and his breath caught when she kissed his cheek. She back away, and said "You're going to do great. I'm going to go keep watch" Charlotte put on her mask, and as she walked away Daniel touched the spot where she had kissed him.

He turned towards the computer, still in a daze, and gave himself a mental jerk back to reality. He could dwell on Charlotte's actions later. He had work to do now. He put on the gas mask, and began to work with the computer. He typed for about ten minutes, trying frantically to access the tanks before anyone caught up with them. Soon, an alarm began to blare and lights began to flash. A computerized voice began to call out warnings, but Daniel ignored them. He knew he had a limited amount of time before the countdown to release the gas would begin. He typed even faster, but his attempts were interrupted by a voice calling out "Hey"

Daniel was startled, and he turned around, hoping Charlotte would show up soon. "Juliet" Daniel wasn't surprised that she was the one who had gone after them. "What are you doing here?"

She refused to lower her gun, and tried to get him to step away from the computer. Daniel was worried about being shot, but he refused to move. The voice said "Countermeasures will begin", and Daniel didn't hesitate. He immediately turned back to the computer and began to type. Suddenly, he felt his mask being pulled off. He tried to explain what he was doing, but she didn't believe him. He noticed Charlotte moving silently behind Juliet, and his eyes widened involuntarily.

As soon as Charlotte hit her, Daniel turned back to the computer and resumed typing. As frantic as he was, he glanced back towards Charlotte and Juliet. He noticed Juliet pull off Charlotte's mask, and fear gripped him. "Stop" he shouted helplessly.

The physical fighting stopped, but a verbal argument began. Daniel was completely focused on the computer. He wouldn't let himself fail. "Ten seconds to contamination" the voice rang out.

"Daniel!" Charlotte shouted. He could hear the fear in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm trying" Daniel wanted to look at Charlotte, but he knew he couldn't afford any distractions. "Come on" he muttered forcefully. Daniel was refusing to give up. With one second to go, he succeeded.

Breathing heavily, he turned to face Charlotte and Juliet. Smiling in relief, he pointed out the obvious. "That - -that was a close one" He looked at Charlotte, and they exchanged relieved smiles.

He moved to Charlotte and helped her off the ground. "You all right?"

"I'm be sore and most likely bruised, but I'm fine" Charlotte lowered her voice slightly. "I knew you could do it"

"You - -you should go ahead. I want to make sure everything's…secure. I'll meet you both outside" Daniel suggested.

Juliet immediately walked off, but Charlotte hung back. She hugged Daniel briefly. "You did great". Then, she followed Juliet up to the second level of the Tempest. He took off his hazmat suit, and got to work. Less than ten minutes later, he heard footsteps returning.

"Dan?" Charlotte called out.

"I'm - -I'm just finishing up, Char. Give me another…minute" Daniel replied. After exiting the system, he turned around and noticed Kate standing a few feet away from Charlotte. "Kate? What…?"

"She followed us" Charlotte said needlessly. "Jack's here, too. I told her we'd explain how we just saved everyone on the Island" Daniel looked at Charlotte curiously. "She was ready to shoot me, Dan"

"I - -I told you…you shouldn't have knocked her unconscious" Daniel said, and Charlotte smirked in response.

"Is either of you going to tell me what happened?" Kate interrupted

"You can tell her. I - -I don't want to…you know" Daniel finished, not sure how to explain.

Charlotte nodded. "This station has a poison gas in it, and when released it could kill potentially everyone on this Island. We didn't want anyone to die, and from what our employer told us about Linus, he seems like the type that would be willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to keep control. That's why we had the hazmat suits and gas masks. We knew that there was a large possibility he'd release the gas. Dan suggested that we come here, and he'd try to disable it. And he did. That's the short version"

"And the long version?" Kate asked, but it seemed like she trusted them a bit more.

"That…would take way too long to - -to explain" Daniel grabbed the suit and mask.

"Just leave it" Charlotte said. "Less for us to carry back"

Daniel thought for a moment, and dropped it back on the floor. "Where's my - -my bag?"

"Right here" Charlotte picked it up and Daniel grabbed it.

"So you're done?" Kate wondered.

Daniel nodded, and the three left the Tempest in silence. When the group reached the beach, it was dark. Daniel and Charlotte immediately headed for their tent, but Jack stopped them. "Guys, no more disappearing. Okay?"

"No - -no more disappearing. Got it" Daniel agreed.

Jack moved his gaze to Charlotte. "We won't. Honest" Charlotte reassured him. Then they continued on their way.

Charlotte collapsed on her make-shift bed. "I'm so tired"

"Same. Let's not do that…anytime soon" Daniel set down his bag, and then mirrored Charlotte's actions.

"Definitely not" Charlotte's voice sounded tired, and within minutes she was asleep.

Daniel reached up to touch his cheek, before succumbing to his own exhaustion.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 19

The first thing Daniel noticed was that everyone was avoiding him, but they were mostly avoiding Charlotte. The only thing he could think of that caused this was Charlotte knocking Kate out, but he had a hard time accepting that Kate, Juliet, or Jack would've told anyone. He wished Charlotte didn't notice what was happening, but she wasn't stupid.

He stood next to her at the kitchen, organizing his bag, while Charlotte was getting them both something to eat. He didn't want to leave her alone, because Daniel knew that she was closing herself off from the rest of the survivors. He could read it in her facial expressions and her body language. He was going to do everything in his power to keep her from shutting him out as well. So far, Charlotte hadn't spoken to him since she woke him up from a dream that was still worrying him.

_Daniel and Charlotte were standing alone in the jungle near a door that led to a Dharma station. He looked at Charlotte, about to express his exasperation about Sawyer's actions when he noticed something that caused him to freeze in place for a second. _

"_What's the matter?" Charlotte was completely oblivious to what had caught Daniel's attention._

"_You…" Daniel didn't want to say it, and instead gestured. _

_Charlotte reached up and wiped her nose, noticing the blood. "Ugh. I haven't had a nosebleed since I was little" Apparently, his worry was written all over his face. "Dan, I'm fine"_

_Daniel knew she wasn't, but he didn't want to worry her._

"_Dan, are you okay?" Daniel opened his eyes to see Charlotte's face surprisingly close to his own._

"_I think so. Is something wrong?" Daniel slid backwards before sitting up. Charlotte being that close to him made it difficult for him to think._

"_You were tossing and turning and mumbling. The last time that happened, when I woke you up you were completely freaked out" Charlotte explained. "So, are you all right?"_

"_Yeah…I'm fine" Daniel didn't look her in the eye. "How's everything in the camp?"_

"_It's really weird. They mostly ignored us before, but now they're actively avoiding me. They see me coming, and they'll turn around and pretend they didn't" Charlotte fidgeted, and reached for her deck of cards._

_Daniel was one step ahead of her. "Char, you don't need them"_

"_But…" Charlotte began, but couldn't finish._

"_No. I - -I told you that you weren't alone anymore. That you had me. That hasn't changed" Daniel reassured her while putting the cards down behind him. Charlotte looked up at him, and he could see her gratitude in her eyes._

Daniel looked back at Charlotte, and saw her looking at him. Immediately, she directed her attention towards their food. Daniel glanced out in front of him, and noticed Kate getting some water. He was considering talking to her, but the Korean couple approached her before he could make his decision. He couldn't tell what they were saying, but he knew their topic of discussion was Charlotte. The three made it obvious, glancing at her every few seconds.

He knew who was telling everyone what had happened the instant the Korean woman looked at Charlotte with undisguised fear. He waited until Kate walked away from the other two, and he mumbled to Charlotte that he'd be right back.

"Kate, Kate, Kate!" Daniel called out, and Kate whirled around.

"What? Do you want to knock me out again? Once was more than enough" Kate spat, advancing towards him.

"Why are you telling everyone about what happened?" Daniel refused to be intimidated.

"What do you mean?" Kate feigned innocence.

"You know what I'm talking about. You're…telling people about what Charlotte did" Daniel clarified.

"They have a right to know, especially considering I doubt you're here to rescue us" Kate turned around, but Daniel wasn't ready to end the conversation.

"And you haven't done questionable things because they were the only choice?" Daniel shouted. "You're not as innocent as - -as you're pretending to be"

He walked off without waiting for Kate's reaction, and when he looked up from the ground he found himself face to face with Charlotte. "Char, did…you see that?"

"Yeah, you just took off. I was wondering where you were going, so I followed you. I wanted to make sure you weren't going to disappear on me" Charlotte justified her reasoning.

"I…just wanted to talk to Kate" The determination Daniel had felt earlier disappeared as soon as he had seen Charlotte.

"I realized. You didn't need to do that. There's no use in them hating both of us" Charlotte waited for Daniel to reach her side, and then they walked back to their tent.

"They shouldn't hate you. You've done nothing…wrong" Daniel looked at Charlotte and she shook her head.

"They do. Kate seems rather influential here. It's reasonable, and expected, that they'd react this way if she were attacked" Charlotte stopped suddenly when they reached the tent. Lying on the sand was their SAT phone, seemingly destroyed.

"That is not good" Daniel was surprised that someone would destroy the phone.

"Can you how fix it? I'm hopeless when it comes to fixing electronics" Charlotte let go of his hand and retrieved the phone.

Daniel studied it closely and realized that whoever did this had just taken the phone apart. "I might. I should be able to. I'll just need some…time"

"Here" Charlotte offered him the phone. "Are you going to need anything else besides time?"

"Ummm…I don't think so. I'll let you know if I do" Daniel replied. "But could you help me set up a small table, away from…most of the camp?"

"Sure" Charlotte agreed, and the two of them set up a small work bench near the ocean rather quickly.

Daniel had no sooner sat down and began to study the phone when he was interrupted. "Hello" an unfamiliar voice greeted him. He looked up and realized the person who addressed him was the Korean woman. "My name is Sun" she continued.

Daniel put the phone on the table and stood up. "Hi, Sun. Hi…I'm Daniel" he shook her hand and waited for her to continue. When she didn't say anything else, he asked "Something I can help you with?"

"I'm two months pregnant" she revealed unexpectedly.

Daniel was caught off guard. Out of all the things she could've said, he wasn't expecting that. "Oh, you're…Wow, that's…congratulations" He had no idea what he should say in return.

"So are you here to rescue us?" Sun didn't seem as if she wanted to exchange pleasantries. Daniel wasn't sure what to say in response, so he didn't say anything. "It's a simple question" she pressed. "Are you or are you not going to rescue us?"

Daniel didn't want to let her down, but he didn't want to give her false hope either. "The thing is…umm…it's not really my call, Sun"

"And whose call is it?" Sun didn't seem to want to give up until she got an answer. Again, Daniel didn't say anything, and Sun realized she wasn't going to find out anything else. "Thank you" she ended their conversation politely, and left.

Daniel sat back down, lost in thought. He had a difficult time wrapping his mind around what had just transpired. From how Sun looked at him and Charlotte earlier, he had a difficult time believing that she would willingly have a conversation with either of them. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Charlotte sitting down next to him.

"I saw the Korean woman…" Charlotte began.

"Sun. Her name's Sun" Daniel interrupted.

"Sun talking to you" Charlotte finished.

"She's pregnant. Two months" Daniel attempted to answer.

"Why'd she tell you?" Charlotte asked.

"She…wanted to know if we were here to - - to rescue them or not" Daniel explained.

"Oh no" Charlotte whispered. "What'd you say?"

"Nothing. What could I say?" Daniel began to get upset, knowing that they would probably let down everyone on the Island. He tried to distract himself by starting to work on the phone again.

He worked on the phone for close to an hour, and when he finished he realized that Charlotte was still there. "Thanks" she said quietly.

"For what?" Daniel had no idea why she would thank him.

"Talking to Kate. Standing up for me. Making sure I knew that you'd be here for me. Just…everything that you've done" Charlotte avoided looking at him, but it didn't bother him.

"I haven't done that much" Daniel tried to play off his actions.

"You have, Dan. You've done a lot more than you give yourself credit for" Charlotte kept her gaze trained on the ocean, but she reached over and covered his hand with her own.

With her touch, all of Daniel's protests died. "I - -I think I fixed the phone"

"We should try it, see if we can reach the freighter" Charlotte suggested. Daniel switched it on with no problems, but when he tried to call it wouldn't go through. "Well, at least we know you fixed it" she chuckled.

"What's…why are you laughing?" Daniel asked, but her laughter was contagious. Before he knew it, he was laughing as well.

When Charlotte calmed down, she explained why she had begun to laugh. "You just spent close to an hour fixing the phone, and we can't even get through"

Later that day, Daniel and Charlotte were at the kitchen trying to find food for dinner when Jack called the survivors over. The two moved to leave, but Jack stopped them.

Jack looked over everyone, then began to speak. "I've seen how Daniel and Charlotte have been treated today, and I'm surprised that you would do that. I saw Daniel earlier fixing the SAT phone. That phone is the only way we can contact their boat. These people have risked a lot even staying here. They could have easily gone back, but instead they let Sayid and Desmond take their places" Jack continued to speak, but Daniel stopped paying attention until the end of Jack's speech. "I don't ask that you like them. All I ask is that you treat them with respect. I remember standing and talking to you the last time there were problems here. I'm going to say the same thing I said then. If we can't live together, we're gonna die alone" Jack surveyed the group once more before he left.

Daniel and Charlotte immediately found themselves the center of attention. They glanced at each other and immediately began collecting their food before retreating to their tent. They ate in silence until the tarp was moved aside and Kate looked in their tent.

"Can we talk?" Kate looked uncomfortable.

"Go ahead. We're not stopping you" Charlotte wasn't even attempting to be nice.

"I wanted to apologize. I was thinking, and what Daniel and Jack said made me realize I was out of line. I shouldn't have told people what happened. And you were right, Daniel. I've done a lot of questionable things in my life. So, I'm sorry" Kate's apology appeared genuine, but Daniel wasn't sure. His opinion of her was altered after the day's events.

"Is that all you wanted?" Charlotte stared at Kate as if she hadn't apologized.

Kate was taken aback. "Yeah. Sorry to bother you" She looked at them both, and then left silently.

As soon as she left, Charlotte spoke. "That little bitch. I can't believe she'd come here after telling everyone what happened in the jungle"

"She apologized" Daniel broke into Charlotte's rant.

"She made everyone doubt us more" Charlotte countered. "Sun wouldn't have asked you if we were here to rescue them if Kate hadn't said anything"

"We…don't know that for sure" Daniel disagreed.

"She didn't talk to either of us before today. I don't think she would've ever spoken to us if Kate…" Charlotte argued.

"She was doing what she thought was right" Daniel was becoming angry.

"So you're sticking up for her?" Charlotte looked at Daniel in disbelief. "I thought you were on my side!"

"Char…calm down. Okay? I am on your side" Daniel attempted to reassure her.

"Then why are you defending Kate?" Charlotte was still angry, but she was beginning to calm down.

"I'm not, Charlotte. I - -I just don't want us to have any more…problems with everyone. We…need to be able to see things from their point of view" Daniel explained, looking Charlotte in the eye, silently asking her to see where he was coming from.

In an instant, she relaxed. "I overreacted, didn't I?"

"Only a little" Daniel replied. "Thanks for not shutting me out"

"You'd never let me. If I tried, you'd push your way back in somehow" Charlotte declared, and Daniel knew she was right. "Let's work on your memory" Charlotte proposed, and Daniel handed her the cards. He wasn't sure how long they played for, but Daniel was getting tired. He tried to stifle a yawn, but Charlotte noticed. "Have you been sleeping all right?"

"Yeah…" Daniel looked up and saw the look Charlotte was giving him. "Actually, no. I - -I keep waking up, and I have a hard time falling back asleep"

"Get some rest" Charlotte suggested.

"But…" Daniel protested.

"No. Go to sleep, Dan" Charlotte pushed, and Daniel caved.

"All right" Daniel settled onto his bed and got comfortable. Right before he fell asleep, he felt someone lay down next to him, and a weight on his chest. He waited a few seconds, then opened his eyes a bit. Red hair filled his vision. He shut his eyes again and wrapped his arm around Charlotte before falling asleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 20

Daniel woke up to find Charlotte fast asleep in his arms. As he tried to figure out a way to get up without disturbing her, she woke up as well.

Daniel chuckled nervously when she noticed how they had been sleeping. "Uhh…morning"

"Morning, Dan" Charlotte blinked, began to laugh as well, and sat up. "Sorry about…"

"It's not a - -a problem. It's fine" Daniel interrupted, sitting up as well. He observed her appearance, and then froze. "Charlotte, where's your necklace?"

"What do you…?" Charlotte reached for her necklace, but it wasn't there. "It's not here. Where is it?" She sounded as if she was about to panic, and Daniel was as well. If the journal was right, the necklace could save her life.

He refused to let her see his panic, though. Daniel took a deep breath, and hoped he'd be able to stay calm. "Let's…look in here first. It couldn't have gone far"

The two of them thoroughly searched their tent, but the necklace wasn't there. Charlotte sank to the ground and sighed. "I know I had it yesterday"

"Let's check the camp. I'm sure that…someone's seen it" Daniel suggested.

"Yeah, if we keep searching we'll find it" Charlotte tried to cheer herself up.

"Come on. Let's go look" Daniel helped her up, and followed her out of the tent.

As they searched, Daniel couldn't help but think about what would happen if they couldn't find it. Would Charlotte die no matter what he did to prevent it? He promised himself that he'd do whatever he could to find that necklace. He wasn't sure that he'd be able to handle Charlotte dying.

They were searching the kitchen for a few minutes when Rose approached them. "Is there a reason you look frantic?"

Charlotte didn't answer, so Daniel stopped looking to explain. "Charlotte…she lost her necklace"

"Well, maybe I can help. What does it look like?" Rose proposed.

Charlotte described the necklace for Rose, and Daniel went back to his search. "I'll keep an eye out, and I'll ask around to see if anyone's found it" Rose offered.

"Thanks" Daniel was distracted, but he wanted to stay on Rose's good side. After searching the kitchen, they looked by their table, the water area, and the main fire.

"I don't think we're going to find it, Dan. If it fell off when I was walking in the sand, then it's gone" Charlotte sat down at their table.

Daniel hesitated, and then sat down as well. He didn't want to accept that it was gone, but he needed to face reality. After a few minutes passed, he took a trip back to the kitchen to get them food, and he encountered Rose again. He nodded a brief greeting and grabbed some fruit, but Rose stopped him from leaving.

"I have something I think your friend would like" Rose said. "Here" She held out her hand, and in it was Charlotte's necklace.

"Where - -where did you find it?" Daniel felt relief sweep through his body at the sight of Charlotte's necklace.

"It fell off outside Sawyer's tent. Kind of ironic, considering that when he was here he claimed everything he found as his own" Rose mused, and handed the necklace to Daniel.

"Thank you for looking for it…and finding it" Daniel glanced back at Charlotte, anxious to return the necklace to her.

"It wasn't a problem" Rose assured him.

Daniel hurried back to the table and handed Charlotte her necklace. A smile spread across her face at the sight of it. "Where was it?" Charlotte inspected the chain and put it on.

"Rose found it outside of – of someone's tent. I think he went with Locke's group" Daniel watched Charlotte.

The two ate, and every so often Charlotte would reach up to touch her necklace as if she was reassuring herself it was still there. Daniel pulled out the SAT phone, and looked at it again."I…didn't fix the phone" Charlotte gave him a questioning look, so Daniel continued. "The mic…it's destroyed. Smashed. There's really no way we can - -can call the freighter"

"Well, you tried your best" Charlotte replied. "If the mic was smashed, then there would be no way to fix it"

Their meal was interrupted by a barking dog and a man shouting for help in the distance. "We should go see what's wrong…help if they need us" Daniel gestured in the direction the shout had come from. Charlotte didn't answer, but she stood up and the two began to run. When they got closer, they noticed Jack and Juliet standing with another man. They reached the group at the same time as Sun and her husband.

Charlotte and Daniel stood back as the man was brought in from the ocean, and Daniel had to stifle a gasp when he saw who it was. From the appearance of the man, he was undeniably dead. When the man was flipped over, Daniel saw the gash on his neck. He looked at Charlotte, and they exchanged shocked looks.

Daniel moved closer to Charlotte, and his movement caught Jack's attention. "Do you know who this is?" Jack asked.

Daniel looked out towards the ocean where he knew the freighter was, and then he looked back at Jack. "He was on our boat. He's the doctor"

The group looked at the man again. It was like a car crash. You didn't want to look, but you couldn't look away. Jack took charge of the situation. "Sun, you and Jin try to keep people away from here until I finish examining him. We don't want to cause any panic right now until we figure out how this happened. Kate, go grab a blanket"

Kate immediately rushed towards the camp. Sun nodded, and translated for Jin. Daniel noticed Charlotte playing close attention to the couple, but he brushed it off. He moved closer to Charlotte and muttered "This is definitely going to - -to mean more questions"

Charlotte whispered back "Definitely. How are we going to do this? They're going to want us to call the boat"

"I - -I have no idea" Daniel went to say something else, but became distracted with Jack's examination of the doctor's body. He moved back so Jack wouldn't direct his attention towards him again.

He stood and silently watched the progress. Jack didn't say anything until the body was covered by a blanket, which signaled Sun and Jin's return. "His throat was slit" Jack looked directly at Charlotte when he said "Know anything about that?"

Daniel looked at Charlotte, and noticed that she appeared uncomfortable. He took a few steps forward, drawing Jack's attention back on him. "No, uhh…he was fine when I last saw him"

"Which was when?" It seemed as if Jack was hinting that either Daniel or Charlotte had something to do with the doctor's death.

"When?" Daniel looked at the ground. He didn't want to see Jack's reaction to what he was about to stay. "When is kind of a relative term" His voice broke slightly at the end of his sentence.

"We don't know anything about this" Charlotte defended both of them.

"Any luck fixing the SAT phone?" Juliet asked Daniel.

At first, Daniel didn't realize Juliet's question was directed towards him. "Uh, yeah. Sorry…no. The, uh, the mic was smashed up pretty good. Best-case scenario, we'd only be able to broadcast tone squelch. Beeps and boops". He didn't think that'd be able to help.

The other man with their group suggested using it as a telegraph. Daniel considered it for a moment, and then started listing everything he'd need for that to work. Kate offered to show him everything they salvaged from the plane. Before following Kate, Daniel glanced at Charlotte.

He found everything he needed rather easily, and he began to work on converting the phone so they could use Morse code to communicate with the people on the freighter.

"Need any help?" Charlotte's voice sounded from beside him.

"Char…I think I'm good. You can stay…I might need some later" Daniel answered. He waited until she sat down, and then continued talking. "Did Jack say anything else after I left?"

"Not to me. He pulled the other man that was there, Bernard, aside to talk to him. I tried to see what they were saying, but Jack knew I was watching" Charlotte replied. "Do you think this'll work?" She gestured to the phone.

"It'll work. What I'm worried about is…what will they say when I ask what happened?" Daniel shook his head. "It's lucky that Morse code…isn't very well-known anymore. The only other person I know that knows it is - - is you"

Daniel worked as fast as he could, only stopping to eat dinner. Once he finished, he began wandering around the camp trying to get a signal.

He couldn't get one, so he returned to the kitchen. He was near his starting position when the beeped, indicating that it had a signal. "I can't believe it. Might actually have a signal" he announced to the people near him.

Before he could tap anything, Jack wanted to know what he was saying. "What happened to the doctor?" Daniel spoke slowly as he tapped out the message.

Almost immediately after, there was a reply. Daniel listened, and as the message progressed he became confused and worried. He looked at Charlotte, and she looked the same. She made a movement as if she were going to get up, then stopped and remained where she was. While listening to the response, he thought quickly for something he could tell them.

Once it ended, the group looked at him expectantly. "Okay. They didn't exactly say what happened to the doctor, but your friends are fine and the helicopter's coming back in - -in the morning"

Everyone looked happy at his reply except Jack and Bernard. He found out why soon enough. Bernard told everyone that he was lying, and that the message said the doctor was fine. Daniel became extremely nervous. "You know Morse code". Daniel saw Charlotte sit up straight. She looked like she was preparing for a fight.

Jack began to interrogate Daniel, asking why he lied. He grabbed Daniel by his shirt, and Kate jumped in. Daniel could see that Charlotte was on her feet, ready to run over and defend him. Jack asked the worst question he could've asked. "Were you ever going to take us off the Island?"

Daniel stayed quiet at first, but he soon realized Jack wouldn't let him go until he heard the truth. "No - -no. No"

Jack loosened his grip on Daniel, then doubled over in pain. Kate moved over to help Jack, but he pushed her away before leaving. Daniel and Charlotte used the confusion to try to slip away, but Juliet stopped them. "What did you mean when you said you weren't here to rescue us?"

"We didn't even know you were here" Charlotte stepped in between Daniel and Juliet. "When we found out, no one told us what we should do. We don't know if they even want us to rescue you or not. We found out when we were told Naomi was dead, and we were on the helicopter coming here a half-hour after"

"Why wouldn't they want you to rescue us?" Juliet asked.

"We - -we don't know. We haven't even talked to the person who organized our trip here. He…has the final say for what we do" Daniel tried to explain. He moved next to Charlotte.

"The only person on our team who probably knew anything was Naomi" Charlotte told them.

"Why'd you lie?" Kate looked at Daniel and Charlotte as if they had betrayed her.

"I - -I knew that you'd start asking questions that I can't answer" Daniel tried to explain why he did what he did. "I can't answer because I don't know how to begin explaining everything"

"If someone hadn't destroyed the phone, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to lie to you" Charlotte's glare was directed at Kate.

"Are you accusing me of something?" Kate demanded.

"Actually, I am. I think you were the one who destroyed the phone. Revenge for what happened in the jungle" Charlotte began to advance towards Kate.

"I don't need revenge. Everyone here hates you. I think that's revenge enough" Kate shot back.

Daniel didn't want to see the situation get any worse than it was. "Whoa. Whoa. Whoa" he stepped between the two women, and focused on Kate. "That was…extremely unnecessary" Then, he turned to Charlotte. "Char, you know that's not true. Rose…she helped you find your necklace. Juliet stuck up for us at - -at the Tempest" He lowered his voice and touched her shoulder as he continued. "And I could - - I could never hate you" He watched as Charlotte's anger slowly dissipated, and then directed his attention back to Kate. "Kate" he sounded extremely disappointed in her. "I can't believe you'd say something like that. Don't you remember our…talk yesterday?"

Kate stared at him, and Daniel and Charlotte left without resistance. Daniel overheard Juliet saying "He's right. You shouldn't have done that"

Daniel and Charlotte silently decided to stay in their tent for the rest of the night, just in case it got out that they weren't on the Island to rescue everyone. Daniel observed Charlotte, who was refusing to look at him. After awhile, he gave up trying to get her attention and he pulled out his journal and the flashlight. Before he could begin to read, he felt Charlotte's eyes on him.

Daniel looked up, and Charlotte appeared unsure about something. He went to look back down, but Charlotte's voice stopped him. "Dan"

She only said his name, but she managed to regain his attention. She didn't say anything else, but Daniel didn't attempt to open his journal again. Instead, he watched Charlotte's facial expressions. She was having an internal debate about something. Then, her expression changed.

In one movement, she leaned forward and kissed him. He sat in shock, not responding, and she began to pull away. He realized what had just happened, and he quickly responded. Their kiss was soft, and somewhat hesitant. When they broke apart, Charlotte smiled at him nervously and he smiled back.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 21

After they kissed, the two sat in a comfortable silence. Daniel read his journal and occasionally made notes, while Charlotte rested her head on his shoulder, and at times asked what something he had written meant. When they went to sleep, she slept comfortably in his arms for the second night in a row.

When he woke up, Charlotte was nowhere to be seen. He sat in the tent thinking until she came back with their breakfast. He expected her to sit down next to him, but instead she sat on her bed and kept her distance.

Daniel had decided to follow Charlotte's lead after what happened the night before. From her actions, he determined that she wanted to act like nothing had happened. It hurt him a bit, but he understood why. It was rare that someone like her would consider having a relationship with someone like him. They were complete opposites.

Even though he was acting as if nothing had changed, Daniel caught himself reaching to touch her, and then stopping before he could. When that happened, he noticed Charlotte's confusion. He also thought he spotted disappointment in her eyes, but he figured that was his mind playing tricks on him.

He had just made up his mind to ask her about the kiss when all hell broke loose. They had been getting water when Bernard approached them. "I want to talk to someone on your boat"

"Then use the phone. We're not stopping you" Charlotte brushed off Bernard's comment.

"I tried. Nothing's going through" Bernard seemed calm.

"I'll look at it. See if I can…get it to work" Daniel put the lid on his bottle and walked over to the phone. Juliet, Sun, Jin, and Rose were there as well, along with a few more survivors that he hadn't met. Daniel worked with the phone, while Charlotte gave him suggestions. However, nothing he tried worked. "There's no signal"

"You were able to use it last night. What's changed?" Bernard wanted to know.

"I…don't know. A lot of factors could have caused this to happen" Daniel wanted to know why there was no signal as much as anyone else did.

"Are you one of them? You or her?" Bernard looked at Daniel and Charlotte, accusing them.

"What? No. That's...absurd" Daniel couldn't believe he was being accused of tampering with the phone. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Juliet slip away.

"Why would we do something to the phone? We want to be able to contact them, too" Charlotte protested.

"Then why isn't it working?" Bernard asked again.

"I have no idea" Daniel just wanted everyone to believe him.

Bernard's calm demeanor disappeared. "Come on! Come on! I just want to know!"

"He knows something" Rose joined the argument and sided with her husband.

Daniel shook his head, trying to get his point across. "I just want the truth!" Bernard calmed down slightly, but not a lot.

Daniel was desperate, trying to get everyone to believe he wasn't lying. A larger crowd was starting to form. "I don't know. That's the truth. I'm telling you. I don't know why, but there's no signal now"

Bernard moved to the phone and pointed at it. "There was a signal when you called last night" Rose agreed. "Are they just ignoring us now?"

"We don't know why they're not answering" Charlotte was frustrated as well. Rose interrupted, but Charlotte drowned out what she was saying, "In case you haven't noticed, we're not on the bloody boat, are we?"

Daniel became angrier when Rose said "Watch your tone, Red" Charlotte just rolled her eyes.

The argument would've kept on going, but Jack interrupted and managed to calm everyone down, but not before Sun insinuated that Daniel and Charlotte would disappear again. The argument was all but erased from everyone's minds when Jack collapsed. Everyone except Daniel and Charlotte rushed to see what happened. They stood back, but they didn't leave.

Juliet and a few other people managed to move him into the shade, and Jack woke up pretty quickly after. Juliet ran to get him water, and Kate ran over and joined the group. She asked him what had happened, and Bernard told her.

Daniel reached out and grabbed Charlotte's arm. She looked at him, and he jerked his head towards the ocean, indicating that they should probably move further away from the large group of people that gathered around Jack.

While they were walking, Daniel asked Charlotte "What do you think's wrong with him?"

"I don't know. It could be a lot of different things" Charlotte appeared somewhat worried.

"Char, can…we talk?" Daniel was nervous, but he needed to know.

"About what?" Charlotte asked.

"Last night. Umm…we kissed. You kissed me" Daniel anxiously awaited her response.

Charlotte was quiet for awhile. "Dan" she began. Daniel reached out and caressed her cheek, which caused her to falter. Her eyes closed for a second, and she appeared to be enjoying his touch. When she opened them again, he withdrew his hand regretfully. "Now's not really the best time. We're the enemy to everyone here right now, and one of the only people that's still sticking up for us even a little, something's wrong with him. We should wait until things calm down a bit here before we discuss last night"

"Oh, umm…all right. I understand" Daniel agreed, but he looked at the sand.

"Dan" Charlotte attempted to get his attention, but he looked over at the group instead. She touched his cheek and gently turned his head so he'd look at her. "I will say this, though. I don't regret it, and I don't want you to either. It's just that right now, we have bigger priorities than just me and you"

At Charlotte's words, the weight he had been carrying all morning lifted. She didn't want to forget about the kiss.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Daniel wanted to know Charlotte's thoughts about their situation.

"Maybe we should just act as if we are who they think we are" Charlotte suggested.

"Char, no. Maybe we could…umm" Daniel trailed off and looked back at the camp.

He heard Charlotte reply, saying "Dan, I'm joking"

He noticed Juliet leaving Jack. She went to the kitchen and began to write on a piece of paper and talk to Sun. Daniel slowly moved up to the main group and Charlotte followed.

He heard Sun say "Clamps? Sutures? Juliet, I don't know what these things look like" Daniel realized that whatever was wrong with Jack was serious enough to make Juliet consider doing surgery.

He jumped in without thinking of the consequences. "I can help. I'm familiar with surgical instruments" Then he remembered that no one trusted him anymore. "Uhhh"

Juliet interrupted. "I thought you were a physicist"

"Yeah. Well, I've done some animal autopsies, too, so if - -if" Daniel was interrupted by Jin's protests.

Charlotte scoffed. "See Dan? I told you. They're convinced we're trying to kill them. Might as well keep playing the part"

Daniel had enough of Charlotte's negativity, even if she was kidding. "Damn it, Charlotte. That right there - - that right there. Your--your attitude, Your…very bad attitude. That's exactly why they don't trust us" She looked as if he had slapped her. He decided he'd apologize later."Come on" he whispered to her. Then, he turned to Juliet, and pleaded with her to let them help.

She finally agreed, but gave Jin a gun and told him to shoot them if they tried to run.

Daniel thanked her. "Let me just get my bag"

Charlotte came with him. "What the bloody hell was that about?"

"I'm sorry, Charlotte. I - -I just wanted you to realize that you're sarcasm isn't helping us regain their trust. I…should've done it a better way, but I lost my temper" Daniel apologized.

Charlotte studied him for a moment, then smiled. "I do come off as a bitch, don't I?" Daniel nodded. "I'll try and be a bit nicer"

They exited their tent to find Sun and Jin waiting for them. "Let's go" Sun said. Daniel and Charlotte went to walk behind the couple, but Sun stopped them. "You're going first"

"We don't know the way" Charlotte said.

"Then I'll go first, then you two, and Jin will be last" Sun replied.

Daniel and Charlotte walked side by side until the trail became too narrow for that to be a possibility. At that point, he fell behind Charlotte. "So…why do we need surgical supplies?"he called up to Sun.

"Juliet is going to take out Jack's appendix" Sun told him. Charlotte glanced back at Daniel, both of them realizing that doing this outside of a hospital would be dangerous. Jin said something in Korean, and Sun replied. Soon, the group fell silent again until they reached the station and Sun told them they were there.

Jin moved to clear off the door, and Charlotte opened it. She was about ready to go in when Daniel touched her arm to stop her. "Hey. Uh... why don't you let me…go first? Um...you know. Make sure everything's safe"

Charlotte hesitated, then agreed. "Okay. Be careful, Dan"

He smiled at her. "Absolutely" Then, he ventured down the stairs into the station, Charlotte following close behind him.

When they reached a room filled with lockers, Sun moved ahead of everyone and opened the door leading to where the supplies were kept. Daniel looked around the room in amazement. This station had electricity as well. "Where do you suppose all this power's coming from?"

"Add that one to the list, Dan" Charlotte replied. They both had a mental list of things they wanted to learn about the Island. "Let's just grab the equipment and go, shall we?"

Daniel and Charlotte looked for everything on the list, while Sun and Jin conversed in their native language. Daniel noticed Charlotte glancing back at the couple, but he just assumed she wanted to know what they were saying. Working together, Daniel and Charlotte managed to find everything quickly, and they walked back to camp.

While they were walking, the sun set. Daniel had forgotten his flashlight, and no one had thought to bring a torch with them. It made the trip back difficult.

"Ah!" Charlotte shouted, and Daniel hurried to her side. She had tripped over a root.

"Char…are you?" Daniel asked.

"I'm fine. My ankle gave out on me, is all. I'll be fine in a minute or two" Charlotte reassured him.

"We don't have any extra time. We need to get back" Sun insisted.

"Fine" Charlotte stood up and rotated her ankle a few times. "I'll be okay to walk" Daniel didn't leave Charlotte's side the rest of the trip, even though she said she was fine. He didn't want her to fall, again.

When they reached the camp, he Bernard announce their arrival. Juliet rushed to meet them. "Did you find everything?"

"Yes ma'am. The entire list" Daniel heard Charlotte chuckle behind him. "He okay?"

"For now. Sun, we need to sterilize these. There's a pot of water boiling over here" Juliet was ready to get to work.

Daniel followed her to help. He glanced behind him, but Charlotte wasn't there. He wondered where she was, but he knew he should help with the sterilizing before he could look for her.

Charlotte was outside their tent when he returned. She appeared extremely on edge, and she was glancing around as if she expected someone to jump out and attack her. He dropped his bag and ran to her side. He put his around her to offer some comfort. "Charlotte, what happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Dan" Charlotte attempted to brush off his concern.

"No, you're not" Daniel disagreed. She shrugged off his arm, grabbed his bag, and went into the tent. He followed almost immediately. "Something's wrong"

"It's nothing. Someone said something and it freaked me out. That's all" Charlotte tried to convince him.

"Char, that is a big deal. I - -I haven't seen you act like this before. If something's worrying you, it's a big deal" Daniel put his arm around her again, and this time Charlotte leaned into his embrace.

"I'll be fine, Dan. Honest. I'm just being irrational" Charlotte replied.

"If it's still bothering you tomorrow, I…want you tell me" Daniel began to back down.

"I will, Dan. I promise" Charlotte agreed.

He expected her to move away, considering their conversation earlier, but instead she moved closer to him. Daniel had no complaints at her actions. When they went to sleep that night, she again fell asleep in his arms. Daniel had two ideas as to why that happened. Either she was more scared than she let on, or she wanted to be close to him. His last thought before falling asleep was that maybe it was a combination of the two.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 22

"Daniel, Charlotte, are you in there?" Juliet's voice roused the two from a peaceful sleep.

Daniel and Charlotte didn't move for a moment, registering what Juliet had just asked. Charlotte muttered something undistinguishable under her breath, then called out to Juliet. "Yeah, just give us a minute"

The two quickly made themselves presentable and emerged from the tent. Juliet immediately began to walk, and Daniel and Charlotte had no choice but to follow. "We need to talk to you"

Daniel was surprised when he saw Jack holding the phone. He wasn't a doctor, but he knew that after a surgery people should rest. Jack showed Daniel the phone, and he immediately realized why it was beeping. "It's tracking something" Daniel looked at the phone for a few more moments. "How did you get this? The phone we have…it's not in great condition"

"A chopper flew over us, and someone threw out a bag. The phone was in it, already beeping" Jack explained as he walked away.

Daniel looked at everyone, and no one was glaring at him and Charlotte. It appeared that the survivors had reached an uneasy truce with them. The group had broken out into a discussion about who had thrown the bag, and it was becoming difficult to hear.

"Guys, quiet" Jack shouted over the din.

They group remained silent for a few minutes. Then, Rose announced that it had to be Sayid and Desmond. Sun didn't agree. She felt that they would land. Jack wasn't sure what to do, then Sun suggested using the phone to call the chopper.

Jack glanced at Daniel. "Well?" He nodded in response. "Don't try anything stupid" Jack instructed him.

"Understood" Daniel wanted to avoid any more trouble with the survivors.

Daniel immediately pressed a few buttons, and then waited. He exchanged glances with Charlotte. He didn't think that Sayid and Desmond were in the helicopter, but he had no other explanation for why the phone was in the bag. Static filled the air, and then a voice came through. It was Keamy. Daniel again looked at Charlotte. The two of them were trying to save everyone on the Island. Keamy, on the other hand, would kill everyone without a second thought. Juliet began to say something, and he said "Sh" He didn't want to give Keamy any indication that they were listening. When he heard Frank's voice, the mystery of who put the phone in the bag was solved. Again, he exchanged glances with Charlotte. This wasn't good. Keamy mentioned going to the Orchid, and then there was only static again.

Jack asked Juliet what the Orchid was, and Daniel was becoming worried. He knew the Orchid was important, that it was in his journal. He knew that this was not going to be good.

Daniel became confused when Jack asked Kate if she wanted to take a walk, but his real meaning soon became clear. They were talking about guns and water, which told Daniel that Jack was going to go after the helicopter. He knew it was a big mistake, and there was a large chance Jack and Kate would both die. He wouldn't be able to stop them, though. They might have reached a kind of truce, but no one trusted him anymore. Jack and Juliet began to fight about Jack going after them, but Daniel knew Jack would win.

Daniel took off, and dug through his bag for his journal. He was flipping through the pages, using a flashlight to see, when Charlotte approached him. "Daniel, what's wrong?"

He grabbed her shoulder. "Charlotte, did you hear what he said? They're going to the Orchid. They're using the secondary protocol"

"What are you talking about?" He knew Charlotte could tell this was serious, but she didn't know why.

Daniel directed his attention back to the journal, and soon found what he was looking for. His equations told him everything he needed to know. The Orchid is what caused the time travel to start. The Orchid is what would indirectly kill Charlotte, if the necklace doesn't work as her constant. He didn't want to risk it. He didn't want to lose her. "We have to get off this Island. Right now"

"And how are we going to do that? They're not letting us out of their sight" Charlotte could sense his urgency, and he was grateful for that. He thought he'd have more of a fight on his hands.

"I - -I don't know. Maybe we can convince Juliet to let us start taking people back" Daniel thought.

"We don't have a way to get there" Charlotte pointed out.

Daniel flipped through a few more pages, and began to relax. "We will soon"

"What? How do you know?" Charlotte asked.

"I can't explain. There will be a way for us to get off here soon. I swear" Daniel promised her.

"I trust you, Dan. How will you be able to convince Juliet?" Charlotte wondered.

"She wants to get off this Island as much as everyone else. Maybe…she'll agree to it when I tell her it'll get everyone off faster than waiting for Jack and Kate to come back will" Daniel suggested.

"It's rather simplistic, don't you think?" Charlotte scoffed.

"Charlotte, sometimes the simplest plans are the - -the most successful ones" Daniel took her hand in his, and the two sat and waited.

They must've fallen asleep, because the next thing Daniel noticed was that it was morning, and people were running towards the ocean. He quickly woke up Charlotte, and the two began to run as well. They stopped in their tracks when they saw a person, surrounded by a group of people, standing next to a raft. "I guess you were right" Charlotte told him while staring at the raft. "Is that the man who got me away from Locke? Sayid?"

"I think so. I guess now we know for sure that he was not on that helicopter" Daniel replied. The two began to walk towards the raft, and they met Sayid halfway.

"Is it true? Did Jack and Kate go after the helicopter?" Sayid demanded.

"Yes" Daniel sighed,

"Why didn't you stop them?" Sayid asked.

"They weren't going to listen to us if we tried. We didn't want to be part of another fight" Charlotte defended their actions.

"What do you mean? You've helped us" Sayid was taken aback.

"A lot of things have changed" Daniel cryptically answered.

Sayid began to walk towards the camp. "I'm going after them. Hopefully I'll find them before the men on the helicopter do"

"What do we do now?" Charlotte asked.

"We help with the raft" Daniel replied.

When Sayid came back with his supplies, Daniel stopped him. "Hey, Sayid, listen. If you want to run off into the jungle after the chopper, you should do that. But in the meantime, we need to get these people off this Island"

Sayid didn't agree. "I won't be long. If I can catch up with Jack and Kate…"

Daniel wasn't going to let him waste time. "I can start ferrying people now. I can get them there safely. By the time you get back, I can have most of these people on our boat"

He watched as Sayid and Juliet had a silent conversation, then Sayid agreed. "I trust you know the bearing. You'd better get going"

"Thank you" Daniel was calm. So far, everything was going according to plan. He turned to the people waiting expectantly. "All right. First group in the raft. We can fit six"

He glanced at Charlotte to see if she was going to come on this trip, but she hung back. Everyone else rushed to the raft, but Juliet stopped them. "Okay. Okay. Hold on. Sun is pregnant. She should go first"

Sun and Jin climbed in the raft, while everyone else began to discuss who should go. Daniel approached Charlotte. "Are you coming?"

"Not this trip. These people have been here for months. We've only been here a few days" Charlotte explained. "It might show them that we do want to help them if I stay behind.

Daniel glanced away, then looked back at her. "Promise me that you'll go on the next trip"

"I promise" Charlotte gave him a quick hug. "Go on. They're waiting for you"

Charlotte was right. The six people that were going first were watching Daniel expectantly. He looked twice at the baby in Sun's arms. "Oh no" Charlotte whispered.

"What?" Daniel looked at Charlotte, who was staring at the infant.

"The baby. His mother was in Locke's group. Keamy must've found them" Charlotte looked up at Daniel. "You need to hurry. And be careful"

"I will. And you be careful, too" Daniel hugged Charlotte a second time. He walked over to the other side of the raft and addressed the group. "All right, this is just the first trip. Here we go"

A few people climbed in the raft, while the others pushed it into the water. Daniel glanced back and waved at Charlotte to reassure her. She looked really worried. He also saw Miles standing behind her. As much as he disliked the man, he was relieved that Charlotte would still have an ally. Once the raft was far enough in the water, everyone else climbed on and Daniel started the motor and set the bearing.

Everyone looked thrilled to be leaving the Island, except Daniel. He hated that he left Charlotte behind. He wanted her off the Island as soon as possible. He didn't know when the jumps would start. He looked back at the beach. There was one person still standing there, watching their progress. He couldn't see the person's features, but he knew it was Charlotte.

"Excuse me" a woman addressed him. Startled, Daniel turned to her. "Are you okay?"

"I…uh…yeah. I just…" He trailed off and looked back at the Island.

"You wanted your girlfriend to come" the woman said as if it was obvious.

"What? Charlotte? No. We're not…She - -she's not my girlfriend" Daniel shook his head and looked at the woman, who appeared shocked.

"Really? I thought, with how the two of you act, that she was. I'm sorry" She apologized.

"It's fine. She's not my girlfriend, but I did want her to come" Daniel said. He didn't know what Charlotte was to him officially. They had never found the time to talk about the kiss they had shared.

"She'll be fine. You'll see her when you get back" The woman reassured him. "I'm Beth, by the way.

"I'm Daniel" Daniel introduced himself, but didn't say anything else after that. Beth didn't pressure him to continue the conversation. No one spoke to him again until they were near the freighter.

"Daniel, thank you" Beth smiled.

"You're welcome, Beth" Daniel replied. He looked at Sun and Jin, who both smiled at him gratefully. He saw people running towards the side of the freighter where the raft would dock, and he called out to them. "Hey, Hey! Hey, we're back"

He saw Desmond throw a ladder over the side, and Jin stood up to throw another man a rope so he could hold the raft in place. When Desmond helped Beth up the ladder, he asked Daniel where Sayid was. Daniel explained what had happened. When everyone was on the freighter, Daniel told Sayid he was going back to get the next group, and he turned back to the Island. A man on the freighter had tossed him a SAT phone. He was halfway back to the Island when he got a call.

"Yeah?" Daniel answered.

"Faraday. the engine's been fixed, and we're going to try to get the freighter closer to the Island. We just need to avoid the reef" The voice was somewhat familiar, but Daniel couldn't place it.

"Thanks" Daniel replied, and hung up.

When he pulled up on the beach, Charlotte was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully, she was just getting everything she needed. People ran to help him, and Juliet showed up shortly after. She asked what happened, and Daniel told her everyone was on the boat and safe. He then told her that the freighter was moving closer, and Juliet went to get the next group ready. He went to walk away, and Juliet called after him, thanking him for helping them.

He went to the kitchen. Daniel had a feeling Charlotte would be there. When he arrived, he saw Charlotte packing a bag and Miles eating something.

"Miles" Daniel jerked his head to the side.

Miles didn't get the message. "Something wrong with your neck?"

Daniel didn't have time for that. "Follow me, please"

Charlotte looked up and smiled. "Dan, you're back" As he walked behind Charlotte, he brushed his hand along her back and rested it on her arm for a second. She looked at him again. "Hey, what's wrong?"

He waited until Miles joined them, and then he spoke. "I'm leaving in ten minutes to take the next group of people to the freighter. You need to make sure that you're with me on that raft, all right?" When he began to speak, he was addressing both Charlotte and Miles. By the end, he was entirely focused on Charlotte, and his hand was on her shoulder again.

"Don't worry about me. I'm gonna stay" Miles said.

Daniel tried again. "Miles, no. Uh…I don't think I'm getting across the... direness of the circumstance"

Miles refused to listen. He was set on staying. Miles left, and Daniel turned to Charlotte. "Hey, ten minutes"

"Yep" Charlotte resumed packing, and Daniel left.

He got his water, and a number of people stopped to thank him for what he was doing. He went to the end of the camp and organized his bag in peace. He had a feeling that whatever was going to happen was going to happen soon, and he wanted to have everything he needed with him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Charlotte.

"Hey, Charlotte" he called out to her. When they met, Daniel continued. "Listen, uh, I wanted to say before you get on the boat, please…"

Charlotte interrupted him. "I'm going to stay, Daniel. For now, anyway"

Daniel became worried. What had caused her to change her mind? "Charlotte…there is no for now. If you don't come with me, for now could be forever" he pleaded with her.

"Nothing's forever" Charlotte stated.

"Why?" Daniel had to know. Her decision was beginning to break his heart.

"Would it make any sense if I told you I was still looking for the place I was born?" Charlotte asked. He knew she was trying to tell him something.

"N - -no" he shook his head, still confused.

Then, the tension lifted for a moment and they began to laugh. She moved closer, and kissed him on the cheek. He savored the feel of her so close to him, and he stroked her hair. She stepped back, and Daniel made a split-second decision. He pulled her close again, hesitated for only a moment, and then kissed her. If he was never going to see her again, he wanted to kiss her one last time. The kiss was more passionate than their previous one. Daniel was trying to convey what he felt for her through the kiss, and Charlotte seemed to be doing the same.

They broke apart, and Charlotte stepped back. Her resolve was written on her face, and he knew there was no changing her mind. "Goodbye, Daniel" She looked at him one last time, and Daniel watched her walk away.

He began to walk towards the raft, but he didn't turn around until she was out of sight. Juliet hurried over towards him, and Daniel knew, based on the way the day was turning out, that Juliet wasn't coming either. She confirmed his suspicions. "I promised I wouldn't leave until I got everyone here safely off this island. Relax. I'll still be here when you get back"

"Right, right…when I get back" Daniel knew there was a possibility he wouldn't come back. It depended on a number of variables, but there was more of a chance that he'd never come back than there was of him coming back. He walked towards the raft, determined to not let anyone know something was wrong. "Okay. Everybody ready? Let's get started. Off we go"

He looked for Charlotte when they were leaving, but he couldn't see her. Sighing, he faced forward and set out to the freighter.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 23

Daniel had the raft go slower than it went on the first trip. It was a selfish action. The people with him wanted to go home, but he wanted nothing more than to stay with Charlotte. He had done some quick calculations when he left the beach. If the jumps would start when the equations in his journal said they would, then if he traveled at his previous speed the raft and all of its occupants would be exempt from the changes. If his speed was slower, they would still be in the radius.

He knew that it wasn't right. The dream of these people, seeing their families again, would be shattered. Daniel wasn't heartless, but he didn't care. He told Charlotte that she wasn't alone anymore, and he didn't want to break his promise to her. He could see the Kahana in the distance, and then it exploded. Gasps of shock surrounded him.

Suddenly, a humming sound caught the attention of Daniel and everyone on the raft, which soon turned into rumbling. They all turned to look at the Island, where the noise seemed to be originating from. A bright light followed the noise, and it blinded everyone. When the light disappeared, the survivors began to look around at each other, trying to figure out what had just happened. Daniel looked in the direction where the freighter had been, and it was nowhere to be seen. Someone else looked to see what Daniel was looking at, and he freaked out when the boat wasn't in sight.

"What just happened?" the person shouted.

"Neil, what are you screaming about?" another man asked.

."What happened? What was that light?" Neil asked a second time, obviously calmer.

"We were inside the radius" Daniel said. He was torn. He was happy that he'd be able to see Charlotte again, but the people he took to the freighter were dead. He wasn't sure how he should feel.

"What are you talking about?" a young woman asked.

"I'll…explain later. Right now, we need to get back to the beach" Daniel turned the motor back on and started to turn the raft around.

"No. You were supposed to take us to your boat" Neil argued.

"The boat is gone. We have two choices. Go to the Island, or die out here in the middle of the ocean. I…pick the Island" Daniel was losing his patience with Neil.

"Frogurt, shut up. We're going back" a man said.

"It's Neil" he corrected the man.

By the time they returned to the beach, everyone was silent, angry, and confused. Daniel knew that eventually everyone would want answers. He just hoped he could figure out what to tell them. They dragged the raft to the shore quickly, and Daniel immediately raced to the camp. He reached it, but nothing was there except the survivors. He overheard Bernard saying "All of it. It's gone"

Daniel took a deep breath, and continued to walk forward. "It's not gone"

Everyone looked at him, waiting for an explanation, but he became distracted when he saw Charlotte.

"Daniel!" she called out, ran to him, and hugged him tightly.

"Hey" he was relieved that she was all right still.

She pulled away and looked up at him. "I thought you were on the freighter"

Daniel kept his hands on her shoulders, not ready to let her go just yet. "No. We never made it. We were on our way there when it happened"

A man interrupted their moment, asking what Daniel meant when he said the camp wasn't gone. Daniel was startled. He had forgotten that people were waiting for an explanation.

He studied Daniel for a second after his question, then said "Who the hell are you anyway?"

Miles introduced him, but Daniel didn't feel that was necessary at the moment. "Listen, we have no time. I need you to take me to something man-made, something that was built. Any kind of a landmark"

Juliet mentioned a Dharma station, and the man revealed that they had blown it up. Daniel wondered how that had happened, but he wanted to get there as fast as possible, so he didn't ask any questions. If he could use the Dharma station as a type of constant for the survivors, there was a possibility he could save everyone. "That's perfect. We should get moving before it happens again, okay?"

He should've known the man would make things difficult for him. He was refusing to leave until Daniel answered his questions. He wanted to know what had happened, and why Daniel said their camp wasn't gone. Daniel only answered the second one. "Your camp isn't gone. It hasn't been built yet" Looking around, he realized that everyone was shocked at his statement. He took advantage of it. "Come on" and he walked away with Charlotte. Juliet, the only one that didn't look confused, rushed ahead of them to lead the way. Sawyer was right behind her.

"Charlotte, who was that guy that kept asking questions?" Daniel moved closer so he wouldn't be overheard.

"That's Sawyer. He was the hoarder that went with Locke's group. He also was the one who beat up Linus when he shot me" Charlotte whispered. Daniel looked up at Sawyer. The man had annoyed him earlier, but now all he felt towards him was gratitude. "Dan, are you all right?"

"The freighter blew up. I took people there. They - -they died because of me" Daniel whispered. He felt guilty.

"They didn't die because of you. You had no idea that was going to happen. You were trying to save them. You know Widmore didn't want them to leave. Why else would he have sent Keamy? It wasn't your fault" Charlotte said convincingly. Daniel looked at her, and soon realized she was right.

"Thanks, Charlotte" He smiled at her. Once his main distraction was gone, he realized they needed to keep moving. He walked faster, passing Sawyer and Juliet, and told them that. Again, Sawyer wasn't going to go anywhere until he got something. This time, he wanted Daniel's shirt. "My shirt?" he couldn't believe it. "I really think we have far more pressing matters than me giving you a shirt. How about we just keep moving, okay? "

Sawyer wasn't budging. "How about we call a time-out so you can tell us what the hell is going on?"

Daniel told him that he just needed to trust him, but Sawyer again refused. Sighing, he tried to explain why he couldn't tell them what was going on. "We really do not have time for me to try to explain. You have no idea how difficult that would be for me to try to explain this--this phenomenon to a quantum physicist. That would be difficult, so for me to try to explain whatever is happening…"

He was cut off abruptly. Sawyer slapped him. Before Daniel could react, Charlotte took action and moved so she was right next to Sawyer. "Oy. What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

Sawyer wasn't intimidated. "Shut it Ginger, or you're getting one too"

Daniel sighed. They didn't have any time, but he didn't want Charlotte to get hurt because of him. He explained what happened as best he could, and surprisingly everyone easily accepted it. Daniel wanted to make sure everyone was with them that was left, but Locke wasn't.

He stepped aside in order to let everyone digest what they had just been told, and Charlotte followed. She hugged him again. "I'm really glad you're all right, Dan"

"Same. I wasn't sure what we'd find when we got back. I…was worried about you" Daniel admitted. Charlotte smiled up at him, and he kissed her forehead quickly, before rejoining the main group. "We need to get moving" he told them.

Before they could, another flash occurred. It was now night, which was a bit of an inconvenience. Daniel glanced at Charlotte, making sure she was okay.

"So when are we now, Whiz Kid?"Sawyer asked. He seemed to have the same habit as Miles, giving people nicknames.

Daniel had no idea. "We're either in the past, or we're in the future. We need to start moving again, now"

Sawyer and Juliet sensed the urgency, and they set off at a faster pace than before. Daniel and Charlotte were following close behind.

"Do you think anyone's looking for us?" Charlotte asked Daniel.

"I don't know. I hope so, but it will be almost impossible for them to find us now" Daniel spoke. He knew that Charlotte didn't want reassurances. She wanted the truth. Juliet announced they were there, and everyone stared down at the crater. It didn't look like an explosion had occurred. It looked like the result of an implosion. "Is this the hatch?" Daniel asked needlessly, but he wanted to be sure. Sawyer confirmed that it was. "Okay. So when we are now... it's now after you and your people crashed on the Island"

Sawyer suggested going back to the beach, and Daniel tried to stop him. Juliet suggested warning the people that had gone on the helicopter, and Daniel was becoming frustrated. "That's not the way it works. You cannot change anything. You can't. Even if you tried to, it wouldn't work" He hoped he was wrong, but he knew that he couldn't give anyone hope when there was a large chance that trying to change things wouldn't work. Sighing, Daniel tried to explain the concept of time to them. It was difficult. Some people, like Charlotte, could pick up on it easily. Others couldn't. Sawyer was someone who couldn't understand. He ended up having to explain about his journal.

Miles asked about the hatch, and Juliet explained about Desmond and the button. Daniel found it surprisingly interesting. It explained the side-effects Desmond experienced when he went to the freighter.

Another flash occurred, and the crater was gone. Juliet discovered that the hatch was there, and Sawyer took off, saying something about a back door. Daniel asked what he was talking about, and Sawyer said he was going to get Desmond to let him in. He started pounding on another door, and Daniel tried to stop him. "You can't change the past" Daniel told him, while feeling like a hypocrite. That's what he was trying to do.

Sawyer whirled around and grabbed Daniel by the shirt. "Everybody I care about just blew up on your damn boat. I know what I can't change"

Juliet separated them, and convinced everyone to go back to the beach. Daniel and Charlotte were left alone at the door, and he immediately recognized the scene from his dream. This was when Charlotte had the first nosebleed.

He looked around nervously, then looked at Charlotte. She was perfectly fine. There was no blood to be seen. Daniel sighed in relief while looking at her. "What? Wh--what? What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing" Daniel smiled and stepped a bit closer to her.

"Are you sure? The way you were looking at me was really odd" Charlotte replied.

"I'm positive" Daniel glanced at the door, then back at Charlotte. "I...wanted to apologize. For what I did before I left"

"You don't need to, Dan" Charlotte's expression was unreadable.

"What?" Daniel was dumbfounded. He figured she'd just want to forget about it. Their situation just got entirely more complicated.

"At this rate, we'll never talk about it. Things just keep getting harder to wrap my mind around" Charlotte sat down, and Daniel sat down next to her. "Dan, I..."

A door swung open, interrupting their conversation. A man was standing there in a hazmat suit, pointing a gun at them. "You best explain why you've been banging on my door" a Scottish voice rang out. It was Desmond.

Charlotte and Daniel were shocked. "Uh...I..." Daniel stuttered, before directing his attention to Charlotte. "I'm going to try something"

"Didn't you just finish saying you can't change the past?" Charlotte asked.

"This isn't changing the past" he muttered. "This is...influencing the future" He stood and approached the man. "Don't shoot us, Desmond"

"How do you know my name? Are you him?" Desmond's voice became hopeful and he lowered the gun.

"Who's him?" Charlotte stood and walked next to Daniel.

"My replacement" Desmond explained.

"No. I'm...we're not. We're not" Daniel told him, and Daniel pointed the gun at them again. "Desmond, don't"

"Do I know you?" Desmond wondered.

"You don't know me" Charlotte said quickly.

"In a way, you know me. Or you will. But that's not important. You have to listen to me. Desmond, you're different. The rules...they don't apply to you"

"You're insane. Both of you" Desmond accused.

A faint humming was heard, and Daniel grabbed Charlotte's hand and started to talk faster. "If you somehow survived, if you got off the Island... My name is Daniel Faraday, and right now me and everyone else you left behind…we're in serious danger. You're the only person who can help us. I need you to go to where we met. Please. Find my mother. Her name is..."

Before Daniel could finish, the flash occurred and they were in a different time.

"Dan, what did you just do?" Charlotte asked.

"Desmond. He can help us" Daniel stated. "I need to get my bag. I left it back at the...where the crater was"

"We'll get your bag, and then you're going to explain what you just did" Charlotte compromised.

When he reached his bag, he dug out his journal and turned to the right page. "See this?"

"Yeah. What does it mean?" Charlotte studied the page.

Daniel began to explain all the equations, and seeing them made him even more convinced Desmond could help them. It took almost twenty minutes.

Once Charlotte understood the best she could, she stood up and brushed off her jeans. "We should get back before they send a search party"

"I...don't think they'd do that. They still don't trust us" Daniel disagreed, but he stood as well.

"They do now. Or rather, they trust you" Charlotte stated.

"What do - -do you mean?" Daniel had no idea what she meant.

"You have the answers. No one else does. You're valuable" she explained. "Come on"

They walked back to the beach. They still hadn't talked about the kisses they shared, but Daniel was beginning to think they didn't need to. The majority of the trip, he had his arm wrapped around her waist.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 24

Luckily, another flash didn't take place when Daniel and Charlotte were walking to the beach. The two were rather close when he pulled Charlotte off the path. "Are they going to ask where we were?"

"They might" Charlotte replied. "I really don't know. If they ask, we could always say we got lost"

"Will…they believe that?" Daniel wasn't sure they would.

"Probably not" Charlotte sat down.

"What will they believe? We can't say we talked to Desmond" Daniel sat down next to her.

"Especially considering you told Sawyer he couldn't" she finished his thought. "Dan, tell me the truth. Is it possible to change the past?"

"I honestly don't know. I…was lead to believe that it was impossible, but certain events recently have started to prove me wrong. It seems like you can change small things, but I don't know if that will make a difference or not in the - -the big picture. I'm saying that you can't, because I don't want anyone to hate me again if I'm wrong" he explained.

"That makes sense" Charlotte was silent for a bit. "How have you been proven wrong?"

"Char, I don't…I can't…" Daniel stuttered. He thought for a moment. She had a right to know. "You"

"Excuse me?" she obviously wasn't expecting that.

"You. You're necklace. What happened earlier, with Desmond. It shouldn't have happened that way" Daniel hoped she wouldn't hate him.

"How should it have happened? What are you talking about?" Charlotte was trying to understand.

"This has happened before. Somehow, I ended up traveling back in time to give myself the journal. I've been having dreams about what happened when I...what should've happened, but didn't" Daniel shook his head. "I'm not making any sense"

"Well, tell me about the dreams" she suggested.

He refused to tell her about what happened to her in those dreams."I had one of me talking to Desmond, like I did earlier. You were heading off to the camp, and asked me if I was coming. I told you I forgot my bag, and that I'd be right behind you. As soon as you were out of sight, I started pounding on the door. He answered, and I talked to him while you weren't here"

"Any others?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I haven't been through the situation this time, so I don't know if it's going to be different" he thought that was a good reason to not tell her.

"You don't want to influence what might happen?" she was trying to guess his motive.

"Well…" Daniel began, then thought better of it. "Right"

Charlotte looked up at the sky. "We should get going. The sun's starting to set"

"Okay. We can always tell them we were talking and lost track of time" the idea just occurred to Daniel.

"That'll definitely be more believable than us getting lost" Charlotte agreed. The two stood up, and made their way to the beach. When they arrived, they saw a group of people gathered around a wood, apparently trying to start a fire. Sawyer and Juliet were talking by the raft, which was surprisingly still there.

"Welcome back Dr. Wizard, Red" Sawyer greeted them.

"Don't you mean Mr. Wizard? And I'm sure you can come up with something better for Charlotte, maybe…"Miles corrected Sawyer.

Sawyer interrupted him. "Shut up, Genghis"

"Hi, sorry…" Daniel began to speak.

Sawyer interrupted him. "You two have been gone for over two hours. What the hell have you been up to?"

"We were, umm…we were headed back, and we stopped to talk, and we must've lost track of time" Daniel hoped they'd believe it.

"Talk, huh?" Sawyer smirked. "If that's what you call it. You figure out when the sky's gonna light up again?"

"I don't know. And I don't have all the information I'd need to figure it out" Daniel knew that wasn't the answer anyone wanted.

"You at least got a plan?" Sawyer was quickly becoming annoyed.

Juliet tried to redirect their attention, suggesting using the raft to find a shipping lane. Daniel jumped in before anyone could get excited. "No. No. We can't just sail out on any course. For us to leave, I need to calculate a new bearing , and, uh, to do that…I need to determine where we are now…in time"

"And what are the rest of us supposed to do, Whiz Kid?" Sawyer asked.

Miles said he was going to find something to eat, while Juliet said she'd go get water. Daniel walked over to the water so he could work in peace. Charlotte sat with him awhile, but she eventually left. The rest of the survivors had gathered around Bernard, who was still trying to start a fire. It was dark, and everyone was becoming more and more on edge.

"Hey" Charlotte's voice came from somewhere next to him.

"Hey" he greeted her. "Just give me a second" Daniel put away his equipment, and directed his attention to Charlotte.

"I got you something" Charlotte handed him a mango. "I was walking in the jungle and I found these"

"Look at that. Thank you" Daniel hadn't realized he was hungry until he saw the mango.

"There were only two, but I figured we could use a bite to eat. Let's just make sure no one else sees them. I don't want people to attack us for them" Charlotte's tone was joking, but Daniel knew them getting attacked for food was a possibility.

"Thank you very, very much" Daniel wasn't sure how to express his gratitude.

The two ate silently. Once Charlotte had finished, she spoke. "I ran into Miles when I was walking. He was complaining about a pretty bad headache. He's pretty annoyed about it"

"It'll pass, I'm sure" Daniel considered pulling out his journal to confirm his suspicions. He was pretty sure Miles' symptoms started after Charlotte's did before. "We've all been under a lot of stress, having to start from the beginning without any supplies"

"What are we going to run into here? Based on the stations, there were people here at some point. Why'd they leave? And if we run into them, what'll they do to us?" Charlotte wondered.

Daniel reached out and caressed her cheek. "Charlotte, we'll be fine. If we run into anyone, we can rely on the flashes to eventually get us…away from them"

"You're right. My mind's just going in every direction" Charlotte chuckled.

"Dinner" Miles' voice filled the camp and grabbed everyone's attention. Charlotte and Daniel looked over to see him walking into camp carrying a boar on his shoulders.

The mood lifted slightly. "Where'd you find that?" Bernard asked.

"I found it in the jungle. It's only been dead three hours, don't worry" Miles reassured everyone.

"That could feed all of us easily" Charlotte said while looking at the boar.

Miles must've asked for a knife, and Frogurt (Daniel couldn't remember his real name) "A knife? You need a knife? Oh, it's over by the Cuisinart next to the stove"

"He was on the raft with me" Daniel told Charlotte. "He was…pretty annoying"

"He seems like it" Charlotte agreed, watching the scene with interest.

Frogurt was becoming more and more hysterical, and he finally ended his rant with "We can't even get fire!"

As soon as he finished, a flaming arrow hit him in the chest. Everyone stared in shock, and then more arrows started flying through the night sky. That's when the panic started. "Run!" Sawyer screamed, and everyone scattered.

Daniel and Charlotte jumped up and watched as Frogurt collapsed onto the sand, fire engulfing his body. Charlotte began to run, but Daniel grabbed her hand to stop her so he could grab his bag. They bolted towards the trees hand in hand. He heard Sawyer shout to meet at the creek, but it barely registered. Daniel soon pulled in front of her, but still refused to let go of her hand. When they reached the trees, Charlotte fell just as an arrow hit a tree. If she had been standing, It would've hit her. "Ow. Dan" she called out, and he quickly helped her up. The two ran until they reached a quiet spot in the woods.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Charlotte exclaimed, catching her breath.

"I have no idea" Daniel pulled her into a tight hug. "That one arrow…it almost hit you"

Charlotte pulled away. "You just had to grab your bag, didn't you? You could've been killed! Daniel, you're more important than anything in that bag" She stopped for a second to regain control, then kissed Daniel.

The two broke apart when a voice called out "And how long has this been going on?"

Daniel looked over to see Miles, emerging from the trees with a smirk on his face. "Umm…well, I…uh" he had no idea what to say.

"It's none of your business" Charlotte huffed.

"Well, I think it is" Miles disagreed.

"You should just leave it alone" Charlotte spat back.

"Whoa, whoa. Charlotte, Miles, calm down" Daniel got in between them and turned to face Charlotte. "Char, don't fight. Not now" he said softly to her, and she nodded just as two other survivors stumbled into the area.

"We heard voices. We were hoping it was someone from our group" one man said.

"What was that?" the second one asked.

"We don't know" Charlotte replied. "Are they still there?"

"Yeah, and they were closing in when we got out. Everyone there now is going to be dead soon, if they're not already" the first person said. Daniel listened closely, but he couldn't hear anything. They were pretty far away from the beach, if it was still going on.

"All right" Daniel thought for a moment. "We should stay here for about a half hour, see if anyone else shows up. Whoever those people were…they won't find us here. We're pretty far away from anything that could function as a path, and we're covered so they won't be able to see us"

"What about meeting at the creek?" the second one asked.

"Juliet will probably make sure they give everyone enough time to get there. I'm sure she realizes that some people are going to stay put for a bit, to make sure it's over" Charlotte said to the group.

"If she made it" Daniel whispered.

"I hope she did" Charlotte muttered back.

The two men sat off to the side of Miles, Daniel, and Charlotte "I wonder how many people…survived. People were getting hit all around us" Daniel speculated.

"With all the arrows, we're lucky to be alive" Charlotte said.

"Miles, Charlotte said you had a - -a headache earlier" Daniel was hoping it wasn't from the time-traveling.

"Yeah, and I still have it. All the running and screaming didn't help it any" Miles noticed the look Charlotte was giving him. "I wasn't screaming. Everyone else was"

"Did you happen to see what happened to the boat? Miles asked Daniel. "I was behind the kitchen when the first flash happened"

"It exploded" Daniel said quietly, and he wrapped his arm around Charlotte.

"Damn it" Miles muttered. "I left a good amount of money there when we came here"

"Money? Is - -is that all you care about, Miles? People died. Everyone on there. A - -a baby was killed in that explosion" Daniel began to get angry, but Charlotte got his attention and shook her head, telling him to just let it go.

The two men approached the group carrying some mangoes and other fruits. "Here, take some. We spotted some trees not too far away that had food" the first man said.

"Thanks…" Daniel said.

"Jeff. And he's Shawn" the first man replied. "And you are?"

"Daniel. That's Miles, and this is Charlotte" Daniel said.

"You came on the boat?" Shawn asked. Daniel nodded. "Jeff, let's get out of here. We shouldn't trust them"

"Shut up Shawn. They're in the same situation we are" Jeff replied.

"It's probably been about a half hour. We can go to the creek once we're done eating. And we should save some, so we'll have something to eat later" Charlotte said, ignoring Shawn's comment.

"We don't have bags" Shawn pointed out.

"I do" Daniel countered. "We can put the rest in it"

Shawn rolled his eyes and walked away. "He's pretty annoying" Jeff muttered.

"Things have been pretty stressful. He's probably not that bad" Daniel tried to defend him.

"He was friends with Frogurt" Jeff elaborated.

"Never mind" Miles jumped in.

While eating, the four talked. Shawn eventually rejoined them, but he didn't participate in the conversation. Once they were ready, they set off for the creek.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 25

An hour after the group left the area, they met up with another survivor. The man appeared unharmed, and he was sitting down as if he didn't know where to go. Daniel didn't recognize him, but Jeff did.

"What happened? Are you all right? Jeff asked.

Shawn looked over, and just scoffed. "Of course he survives"

"I managed to find a place to hide. I have no idea how they didn't find me. There were at least four people dead, that I could see. Everyone else managed to get away. I took off once they left. I figured it'd be in my best interest to try to find everyone else, but I couldn't remember how to get to the creek" the newcomer uttered.

"Could…you see who any of the people were?" Daniel asked, while reaching into his backpack and producing a mango, which he handed to the man.

"Thanks" the man said. "And no. Not to mention, I didn't want to draw any attention to where I was hiding"

"Can we get moving?" Shawn urged them along.

It was almost daybreak when the group heard people nearby. Daniel immediately gestured for everyone to hide as best they could, crouching down behind bushes. Charlotte, Miles, Jeff, and the newcomer immediately complied, but Shawn didn't.

"Why should we hide? What if it's some of our people?" Shawn protested.

"What if it isn't?" Charlotte hissed. "Stop being so bloody idiotic and hide"

Daniel agreed. From his position next to Charlotte, he whispered. "Shawn, get over here"

"No. You're all overreacting" Shawn argued.

"Suit yourself" Miles muttered. Less than a minute after Miles finished speaking, a group of people came into view, and they spotted Shawn almost immediately. Two men sprang to his side and grabbed his arms, preventing Shawn from trying to escape.

"What should we do with him?" a man asked, and he tightened his grip on Shawn.

"He's one of them, I'm sure. Take him with us. Maybe we'll get some answers" an older woman replied. "Who were you talking to?" she addressed Shawn.

Shawn glanced around in a panic. "No one. Myself. I was trying to…"

"We already have members of his group" interrupted the second man who was holding him.

"He's a problem. He's coming with us" an authoritative voice rang out from the back of the group. The woman nodded, and the two men quickly tied Shawn's hands together. The group moved on, and Daniel noticed two survivors from the crash already being escorted to an unknown destination. Shawn would make their prisoner count three.

When they could no longer hear the group moving, the five slowly stood and looked at each other. "I doubt we'll be seeing him again" Miles stated. Daniel just shook his head.

"Let's keep moving. We'll tell everyone what we saw when we meet up with them" Charlotte addressed everyone.

The group exchanged glances once more, then they continued walking. After some time passed, Daniel was beginning to think he had misheard Sawyer's shout. He had been preoccupied with getting Charlotte to safety. "The creek…there's a ton of places they could be if they're at the creek. Is there anywhere else he could have said?"

"I heard Sawyer say the creek too, Dan. If we get there and we don't see anyone, we could walk along until we find someone, or wait" Charlotte suggested.

"But, are you sure that's where he said?" Daniel asked again.

"Yeah. Sawyer said to meet at the creek, so unless he and everyone else are now well-done that's where they'll be" Miles stated dryly.

"Miles, that really…wasn't necessary" Daniel sighed. Miles just pushed past him without a second thought, followed by the two other survivors. When Charlotte walked past him he fell in step with her, and put his hand on her back. "Is it just me, or is Miles…?" Daniel gestured with his free hand.

"We're all on edge. We were almost killed a few hours ago" Charlotte said. "But he was out of line with that well-done comment. Did you manage to calculate a new bearing?"

"No. it's too unpredictable. I can't figure out what year we're in, and even if I do…there's no guarantee that we'll end up in the right time" Daniel explained.

"Who do you think attacked us? It wouldn't have been Dharma. They sound like they were too technologically advanced for flaming arrows" Charlotte wondered.

"It could've been any group that was on the Island before. If I knew the year, it would make it easier to figure out" Daniel said.

"Is something terrible going to happen to all of us? So many people have already died" Charlotte said softly.

Daniel stopped her, and put his hands on her shoulders. "Listen. Nothing is going to happen to you. Nothing. Okay? I won't let it" Daniel paused and thought for a moment. "Charlotte, I…"

"We're here, but no one else is" Miles interrupted. "Looks like everyone else is…"

"Don't even think about finishing that" Charlotte called out as she walked to the creek.

"Let's wait. They might be right behind us" Daniel hoped as he walked behind her.

"Or they came and left, trying to look for us at another place on the creek" Charlotte guessed.

"Or they're dead" Miles finished.

"Miles, that right there…your attitude. It isn't helping anything" Daniel was tired of his constant negativity. Miles ignored him, looked around, and then started to follow Jeff and the other man. "Miles?" Daniel asked, but there was still no response.

"What is he doing?" Charlotte asked. Daniel just shrugged. They watched as Miles stopped and studied something on the ground.

Then, he glanced up at the two other members of their group and shouted "Wait! Don't move!"

Daniel didn't even get a chance to wonder why Miles shouted that before an explosion occurred, throwing the newest addition to their group into the water. a second explosion followed almost immediately after, throwing Jeff into the water as well. Daniel turned and pushed Charlotte to the ground and he dove after her.

When the explosions finished, they looked around, shocked at what had just taken place. Daniel was actually hoping for another flash. This time was just too dangerous for them to be in. Out of the trees came people with arrows, presumably the same people that attacked them earlier.

"Shit" Charlotte, muttered so softly that Daniel could hardly hear her. Daniel and Charlotte looked around frantically. They were surrounded.

Then, a young blonde woman, still a teenager, emerged from the trees carrying a rifle. "Who's in charge, here?" she asked. Charlotte started a bit at hearing another British accent.

"He is" Miles quickly spoke and pointed to Daniel. Daniel stared at him for a second, but when the woman pointed her rifle at him he studied her. She looked familiar, but he couldn't figure out how. He put up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"You just couldn't stay away, could you?" she asked coolly. Daniel looked the people's clothing. It looked like it was military, sometime after World War II, but he couldn't be sure. The girl addressed her companions. From the way they listened to her, she appeared to be in charge. "Go get the other two out of the water. They're probably dead, but I want to make sure. And you" she spoke to one in particular. "Tie their hands. You three, stand up"

They scrambled to their feet quickly. Teenager or not, she had a rifle. Daniel's hands were tied first, and he could only assume they did that because Miles told them he was in charge. Charlotte's hands were tied last, which somewhat amused him despite their situation. They probably assumed that because she was a woman, she wouldn't be much trouble. He had to give her credit, though. She knew when to fight, and when to back down.

The girl still refused to lower her rifle, and still had it pointed at Daniel, which he could tell was making Charlotte a bit uneasy. "There were twenty of you at the beach and only five of you here. Where's everyone else?"

"Maybe they got blown up by the rest of your land mines" Miles retorted.

"You put them here, not us" the girl sounded a bit angry about that. Daniel knew that tone of voice, and her mannerisms were extremely familiar as well. He just couldn't remember where he had seen her before. She directed her attention back to Daniel. "Once we leave here, your fate is out of my hands. It will be a lot easier if you cooperate. I'm going to ask you one more time. Where are the rest of your people?"

"I don't know" Daniel replied honestly.

"Wrong answer. Let's take them back to camp. Maybe they'll be more forthcoming there" the girl set off.

Suddenly, it dawned on Daniel as they set off. The girl, this teenager, was his mother. She couldn't have been any older than eighteen now, which meant that they were in the early to mid fifties. From there, his mind began to race. He knew that in the fifties the U.S. Military was testing bombs on islands. This Island could easily be one of those islands. That's why she said that they couldn't stay away: she thought they were military as well. The only inconsistency was that she was dressed as a member of the military, but he could overlook that for now. He glanced over, and one of the men had his hands wrapped. From what he could see, the man's hands looked burnt. He studied them closely, and realized they looked like radiation burns.

Miles moved in between Daniel and Charlotte. "We just walked over a fresh grave" Miles whispered, trying to make sure they weren't overheard. On Miles' other side, Daniel noticed Charlotte paying close attention.

"What?" Daniel wasn't sure he heard him right.

"Four U.S. soldiers. They haven't been dead long. Three of them were shot. Probably by these guys. The last one died of radiation poisoning" Miles explained.

That supported Daniel's theory of the one man's burns, and also explained why their captors were wearing military clothing. He wanted to be sure, though. "Did they happen to mention the year?"

Miles glanced at Daniel like he was nuts. The girl, Eloise, Daniel corrected himself, interrupted the conversation by announcing their arrival. The camp really was a camp, filled with army supplies, including tents. They must've killed everyone from the army that showed up here, which didn't bode well for Daniel's group. Off to the side, he noticed another fresh grave. He didn't want Miles to be right, but the people buried there were probably they people he had seen with the group that captured Shawn.

"Richard, we're back" Eloise called out. A man emerged from the main tent and approached them. "I caught these three at the creek. He's their leader" she indicated Daniel. He was still uncomfortable with being referred to as a leader, but he knew Miles didn't want to be in charge, which is why he appointed Daniel to the position.

The man, Richard, studied him. "What's your name?"

"What's yours?" Daniel countered. He saw Charlotte and Miles both smirk out of the corner of his eye.

"My name is Richard Alpert" he fell silent, intending for Daniel to introduce himself. When Daniel just stared at him, he continued calmly. "I assume you've come for your bomb" Daniel got the impression that not much could faze this man.

"Yes" Daniel said.

"You're not going to say anything else?" Richard asked.

Daniel thought for a moment. "No" He wasn't frustrating Richard, but he was frustrating everyone else. He was beginning to understand why Charlotte and Miles sometimes did this. It was fun.

"Take them in the tent. I'll be there shortly" Richard decided. "Come with me" he addressed Eloise. She nodded.

A man led them to the tent. Instead of opening the flap, he pushed in Miles and Daniel, followed by Charlotte. He shoved Charlotte harder than the other two, and she stumbled into Daniel, who turned and pushed the other man back out of the tent.

"It's all right, Dan. I'm fine" she reassured him.

Miles sat down on a bench, while Charlotte sat on the other one. "This isn't good. We are so dead. And your little stunt with that Richard guy didn't help"

"We are not dead. We just have to wait for another flash" Daniel sat next to Charlotte. "And I think we had a bigger chance of dying when you told…the girl that our people were probably killed because of them"

Miles ignored his last comment. "How long will that be?"

"Till the next flash?" Daniel asked, and Miles nodded. "Could be five minutes…or five thousand years"

"Great" Miles muttered and he rubbed his head.

"Still have a headache?" Daniel asked.

"What do you think, genius?" Miles snapped. "At least it hasn't gotten worse"

Daniel stayed calm. "Do you have any dizziness, double-vision?"

"A little dizziness, but that's probably from at the creek. That explosion…" Miles shook his head.

"What's going on, Dan?" Charlotte asked.

"My best guess is that they think we're part of the U.S. Military, and we need to let them keep thinking that" Daniel said.

Richard, followed by Eloise and the man with the burns, entered the tent, effectively halting their conversation. Daniel stood up. "Sorry. Am I interrupting?" Richard sounded completely sincere. "Ellie says you're refusing to say where the rest of your people are"

Ellie. He should've figured his mother went by a nickname when she was young. "Why would I do that? So you can kill them, too?" Daniel had no idea where this bravery was coming from.

"We didn't start this. You attacked us. You come here, do some tests, shoot at us, and expect us to not defend ourselves?" Richard never denied killing anyone, Daniel noticed.

Daniel told Richard he didn't know about that, which was true, and that he didn't want any trouble, that they were just scientists. It was eerily close to what he had told the Oceanic survivors when he first arrived on the Island. Daniel said they were here to recover a hydrogen bomb. He used the man with bandaged hands as proof that the bomb's housing is no longer secure. He finished with "You need to listen to me. You have an unstable device that can destroy this whole Island. If you don't let me render it inert, we're all going to die. Every one of us"

"How do I know you weren't sent here on a suicide mission, to just detonate the bomb?" Richard asked.

Daniel knew that if he lied, Richard would be able to tell. So far, he had been okay, but he would probably be caught if he lied now. This was too sensitive to deceive anyone. There was only one thing he could think of that would get Richard to believe him. He just hoped Charlotte would still talk to him after this. "Because…" Daniel began, then hesitated, hoping he wasn't going to make a huge mistake. "I'm in love with the woman sitting next to me" Richard looked at Charlotte. Daniel had to see her reaction, so he looked at Charlotte as well as he continued. "And I would never…I would never do anything to hurt her" She looked shocked, and he wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Daniel looked back at Richard, who agreed to let him disable the bomb.

When Richard left, Charlotte stood up. She walked to Daniel as if she was going to say something, then backed down and sat on another bench. Daniel sat across from her, but was refusing to look at her. He wasn't sure he wanted to know her reaction anymore, and he was feeling stupid for announcing it in front of his mother, Miles, and two men he didn't know.

Miles paced for a bit, then leaned against one of the supports. Daniel wasn't sure what Miles was thinking, but he soon voiced it. "A hydrogen bomb?"

"The US tested hydrogen bombs on islands in the South Pacific in the 50s. I just…assumed that's when we were" Daniel replied.

"That makes me feel so much safer" Miles rolled his eyes, and went to peer out of the tent.

"You didn't have to say that" Charlotte said softly. It occurred to Daniel that Miles was trying to give them some semblance of privacy so they could have this conversation, which surprised him.

"Say what?" Daniel asked. He wanted to see if Charlotte would just say to forget it or not.

"That you loved me. I'm sure there was something else you could say to convince him you weren't going to blow up the Island" Charlotte said.

Daniel studied her closely. It almost appeared that she was hoping to here that what he said was true, but expecting him to take it back. Taking it back never occurred to him. "I said I loved you…because I meant it, Charlotte" The entire time he spoke, he didn't break eye contact. He wanted her to know it was the truth. Shock filled her face first, followed closely by a smile. He smiled in return. Then, his mother came back in. She didn't even know he was her son, and she still ruined a moment between him and Charlotte.

"Let's go" Ellie said, and she grabbed Daniel's bag.

He barely noticed it. "I'll be back soon. I promise" he spoke seriously, still keeping eye contact with Charlotte.

When he left the tent, Richard untied his hands and told him his side of the story about what happened to the soldiers that were on the Island. He said he was forced to kill him.

His tone caught Daniel's attention as he picked up his bag. "Forced? By whom?"

Richard suddenly appeared a little nervous, and said something about a chain of command, and said that he followed one.

Another teenager ran into the camp calling Richard's name. He said how a group surprised him, and Daniel knew he was talking about some of the survivors, and how even though he was outnumbered he got away. Richard told Ellie to leave, and they set off to the bomb leaving Richard with the other teenager.

Daniel and Ellie walked in silence. He knew she was his mother, but he was having a difficult time reconciling this teenager with the woman who raised him. She noticed he kept looking at her, and he stuttered an excuse about how she looked like someone he knew. She began to lecture him, and all of a sudden she was completely his mother. "I don't believe you, by the way. You may have Richard fooled, you can't really expect me to believe that you, a British woman and a Chinese man are all members of the United States military. Who are you and what are you doing on our island?"

Her tone had the same effect on him now as it did in his childhood, and he debating telling her the truth, but all he said was that he was her best chance at disarming the bomb.

When he saw the bomb, he was frozen for a minute. He didn't expect it to be that large, even thought he should've known better. He thought about the best course of action, and realized he needed to get a closer look at it to figure out how to disarm it, so he climbed up the structure supporting it. The entire time, Ellie kept her rifle trained on him. He looked closer, and realized that the metal was slowly corroding. He climbed down as quickly as possible, and told Ellie to move. She backed up a bit, them stopped and pointed her rifle at him again. He told her they needed it to bury it and everything would be fine. She wanted to know how he knew, and Daniel yelled without thinking that in fifty years, the Island would still exist.

She prepared to fire, and he backtracked quickly at first, then realized he should just tell her the truth. As soon as he did, Sawyer jumped out and pointed a gun at her. "Drop the gun, Blondie" Daniel would've laughed if the situation wasn't so strange. He told Sawyer to put his gun down, but he refused. Juliet emerged, and Sawyer shouted for Ellie to drop the gun.

As soon as all the guns were down, Sawyer saw the bomb. "Son of a bitch"

Ellie still didn't believe him, and asked sarcastically if they were from the future too. Sawyer was shocked that Daniel had told her.

"It just slipped out. She was going to shoot me and…" Daniel began to rant.

"Hold on. Who's all with you?" Juliet asked, still as calm as ever.

"Just my original group" Daniel didn't want to say names. "We had three others with us, but I'm - -I'm pretty sure they're all dead now". Daniel was calming down as well.

"Hold on. There were only five of you at the creek" Ellie jumped in.

"That's because some of your people took our sixth person. We hid. He didn't" Daniel explained.

"Then why do you think he's dead?" Ellie wanted to know.

"Because when you brought me into the camp I saw some new graves. It didn't look like they've been there long" Daniel explained. "Who's with you?" he asked Juliet.

"Just us and Mr. Clean" Sawyer said instead. Daniel thought about who Mr. Clean could be and then realized Sawyer was talking about Locke.

"Who are you talking about? Who's Mr. Clean?" Ellie was getting more and more confused.

Suddenly, the humming began. Daniel, Sawyer, and Juliet all began to look around. Then, the flash happened. Daniel immediately began looking around again, trying to find Charlotte. When he saw her, he smiled. Then, he froze for a moment. This was another one of his dreams. He tried to relax and tell himself that nothing happened last time, but he was still nervous.

"Dan!" he heard her call out. He watched her take a few steps forward, and he broke into a run. When he reached her he touched her arms gently. "What happened out there?"

"I told her they needed to bury it. The metal was corroding. It - -it was too late to disarm it" Daniel explained."You okay?"

"Yeah, you?" She asked as Daniel worked on untying her hands.

"I'm fine" Daniel smiled.

"Yeah, me too. I'm great too" Miles muttered, but they both ignored him.

She smiled up at him happily, and shut her eyes as Daniel touched her face and hair, then pulled her into a hug. She pulled back, and said "Dan, about earlier, I…"

"Shit" they were interrupted by Miles. Daniel looked over, and saw his nose bleeding. "You got a Kleenex in that bag of yours?"

"Umm…no" Daniel said, and he realized that this was not good.

"Whatever" Miles replied, and began to wipe away the blood with his fingers.

"What were you going to say?" Daniel asked Charlotte.

"It can wait" Charlotte didn't appear as confident as she did before.

Daniel looked around and realized Sawyer and Juliet were still talking to each other, Miles was turned away from them, and Locke still had his head in his hands. He looked back at Charlotte, and quickly kissed her. "Char, what I said earlier, it really was the truth"

"Dan…" she started again, and they were interrupted by Miles falling. Juliet rushed over to help him up.

"I got really dizzy and light-headed there for a second. I'm fine now" Miles pushed Juliet away.

"He keeps interrupting us. Bloody moron" Charlotte muttered softly. Daniel knew she didn't intend for him to hear it, so he didn't say anything in return.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 26

"Miles, at least let me determine whether you're fine or not" Juliet said, moving closer.

"I said I'm fine. I don't need any help" Miles took a few steps back.

"Miles, listen to her. You just fell over" Charlotte called out. "And your nose is still bleeding"

"And if you had fallen, would you listen to her?" Miles sat on the ground. Charlotte thought for a moment, and Miles took her silence as an answer. "That's what I thought"

"Miles, how's your headache?" Daniel asked.

"Why do you keep asking me about my headache? If knowing is really necessary, it's worse" Miles glared at Daniel.

"You've…been experiencing dizziness. That's why you said you fell. Double vision?" Daniel wasn't going to let Miles intimidate him.

"Sometimes" Miles grumbled. "Again, why do you want to know? Are you a doctor, and just neglected to us?"

"No" Daniel sighed. "I've seen…never mind"

"Hey Brain, you know what's happening to the medium here or what?" Sawyer asked. "And if you do, mind sharing with the rest of the class?"

"The symptoms Miles is experiencing, I've seen them before" Daniel revealed reluctantly.

"Keep going" Sawyer urged him on.

"It's what was happening to…um…Desmond, right? Desmond when he went to the freighter, but different" Daniel revealed a little more.

"Sayid said Desmond didn't recognize him. Miles recognizes all of us" Juliet studied Daniel.

"I'm right here. I can hear you talking" Miles muttered.

"That's why I said different" Daniel replied. He looked over at Locke, who hadn't moved from his earlier position.

"Is this happenin' cause the sky keeps lighting up?" Sawyer moved towards Daniel. "Better tell the truth, Danny Boy"

"I'm not positive, but I think so" Daniel went to pull off his bag, but Sawyer stopped him.

"Don't go to that little book of yours for answers. I want you to tell me the truth, not your book" Sawyer's tone turned a bit threatening. Charlotte moved in between Sawyer and Daniel.

"Don't you even think about hitting him again" Charlotte stared at Sawyer.

"I ain't afraid of you, Red. And I want answers. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get them" Sawyer glanced and Daniel. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

"James, calm down" Juliet interrupted. "Did you know?" she asked Daniel.

"I thought…that it was a possibility. It's neurological, from what I can tell. Our brains have an internal clock…a sense of time. The flashes…they throw the clock off. It's like really bad jet lag" Daniel tried to explain without worrying anyone.

"Why is this just happening to Miles? Why not the rest of us?" Juliet asked.

"I have no idea" Daniel replied. He looked at Charlotte before continuing. "Thank God it's not"

"Dan, can I talk to you?" Charlotte asked, then pulled him away from the group before he could answer. "You said when we were on our way back from the hatch that some things have changed, and you know this because of what's written in your journal and the dreams you've been having, right?"

"Yeah. Why?" Daniel had no idea why she was bringing this up. He glanced quickly over to where everyone else was, and no one was paying them much attention.

"This is one of the things that happened differently, isn't it? I could see it on your face. You were relieved that Miles' nose was bleeding and that he fell. Was something worse supposed to happen?" Charlotte wanted answers as well.

"Yes" Daniel glanced away from Charlotte before looking back at her.

"What was going to happen?" she pressed.

"It's not important. It - -it didn't happen. That's all that matters" Daniel evaded.

"It is important. When you said 'Thank God it's not' you looked right at me. Was this supposed to happen to me?" Charlotte kept her voice down, but he knew from her tone that he needed to tell her unless he wanted her angry with him.

Daniel sighed and grabbed Charlotte's shoulders. "Not exactly. Charlotte, It would've been worse. In my dreams, you got a nosebleed at the hatch. Here, you seemed fine. I untied your hands, but then you started to stumble and blood started to pour out of your nose. You fell, and you had a seizure. After, you went completely still"

Charlotte blinked a few times. "Oh my God" she whispered. "Was that the morning when I woke you up, and you said you thought I was dead?" Daniel nodded. "Why is it different now?"

"I don't know. The only thing I noticed in the dreams that was different about you was that you didn't have that necklace" Daniel caressed her cheek. "I think that your necklace is functioning as a constant. That's what Desmond needed"

"What's a constant?" Charlotte was confused.

"A constant…it's something that you really care about that exists in both times, the time you should be in and the time you are in" Daniel explained.

"So, as long as I have this necklace I should be fine?" Charlotte asked.

"I think so, but I can't be sure" Daniel stroked her hair. "Charlotte…I can't guarantee anything. Promise me something. If you get a nosebleed, a headache, anything, let me know. I'm still trying to calculate a new bearing to get us off this Island. I have everything else I need except the year"

"I promise. Dan, I want to tell you something" Charlotte wasn't looking him in the eye.

"What is it?" Daniel asked.

"Daniel, Charlotte, can you come over here? Locke wants to talk to us" Juliet called over.

"Just a second" Daniel called back, and looked at Charlotte expectantly.

"It can wait" Charlotte smiled softly. "They need us"

"Okay. Just, are you all right?" Daniel wanted to make sure she was okay, considering everything he had just told her.

"I'm fine, Dan. It's a bit of a shock, but I'm fine" Charlotte reassured him.

As soon as they reached everyone else, Locke spoke. "We need to go back to the Orchid"

"Excuse me?" Sawyer looked like he thought he misheard Locke.

"The Orchid" Locke repeated. "Since that's where this started, maybe that's where we can stop it"

"That greenhouse is a long ways away" Sawyer pointed out.

"We have the raft at the beach. We could take that. It would save us some time" Juliet suggested.

"Do you have any idea what to do when we get there?" Miles asked.

"Not really, but Ben used it. I'm sure I can figure it out" Locke said simply, and continued to speak.

"Did he just insult Linus?" Daniel whispered to Charlotte.

"I think so. I almost wish Linus was here, just so we could see the look on his face" Charlotte whispered back.

"I'm going to try to bring them back. Jack, Sun, Jin, Sayid, Hugo, Kate, Desmond"

"They're dead" Daniel said flatly. He still didn't like thinking about it. "I took Sun and Jin on the first trip. Everyone else went on the helicopter. The freighter…it blew up. They were all on it"

"They're not dead" Locke said confidently. Daniel felt relieved.

"Says who?" Sawyer looked at Locke like he was insane.

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that they have to come back" Locke was determined.

"How is the Orchid supposed to help you get off the Island?" Miles said. "And maybe you've forgotten, but we're not in our time. So even by some miracle you manage to get off, are you just going to sit around waiting for however many years it takes? We have no idea when we are. You could die before they're even born"

"Do you have any better ideas?" Locke asked pointedly. No one said anything. "Let's go to the Orchid, then"

They began to talk through the jungle, and there was another flash. As soon as it cleared, they were in darkness. Daniel glanced at Miles. He looked a little shaky, gasped, and passed out.

Juliet reached him first. She looked closely at his face. "Daniel, his nose's bleeding again"

"As soon as he wakes up, we need to start moving again" Daniel stated. He still had no idea why Miles had gotten the symptoms so soon.

He moved away from the group and sat down, thinking. He knew that soon everyone else would want to know when they should be expecting this stuff to happen again. Logically, he realized that how much time they spent on the Island had something to do with it. But if he looked at it that way, Juliet would've been the first to experience the side-effects, not Miles or Charlotte.

Charlotte sat down next to him. Daniel immediately dug in his bag and handed her a mango. "Here. We don't have many left. How's Miles?"

"We'll split it. You need to eat, too. And Juliet says his pulse is steady. According to her, once he wakes up he'll be fine"

"For now" Daniel muttered.

"What's going to happen to him?" Charlotte asked. She broke apart the mango and handed Daniel half.

"I don't know. Eloise died but Theresa was still in a type of coma, last I heard. She would wake up occasionally, but only for short amounts of time" Daniel said softly.

"Dan, do you still want to know why I didn't go with you to the boat?" Charlotte looked at him.

"Well, yeah. You were ready to go, and then you…changed your mind" Daniel shook his head. "I couldn't figure out why"

"When I was little, I lived here. My parents were members of the Dharma Initiative. Something happened, I don't know what, and my mother and I left. I was about four. My dad stayed. He gave me the necklace right before we left. I used to ask my mum about it when we were in England, but she kept telling me that I made it up. I knew I didn't though. My memories were too real to be from my imagination" Charlotte looked him in the eye, and Daniel reached out and held her hand. "I've been trying to find this place my entire life. Once I realized where I was, I wanted to stay longer and learn more about this Island. Maybe even find out what happened to my dad, and why my mum didn't want me to come back"

"Why are you telling me this?" Daniel asked.

"Because, you have a right to know. If we were anywhere else, I would've gone with you, without a second thought" Charlotte said quietly.

"Charlotte, why?" Daniel still couldn't understand.

"Because, Dan…I love you" Charlotte smiled, and Daniel felt a huge smile spread across his face as well.

Before he could say anything else, Sawyer walked over. "You two are always sittin' on your own. Trying to make the rest of us feel left out?"

"What do you want, Sawyer?" Charlotte seemed annoyed.

"The third musketeer's up" Sawyer jerked his head. "Rambo wants to get movin' again"

Sawyer and Locke went first, talking softly. Daniel and Charlotte didn't speak, but they kept exchanging smiles.

Soon, Miles stopped suddenly. Daniel looked to see what had caught his attention, and saw him staring at a beam of light shooting up from the ground. "What the hell is that?" Miles asked.

"Let's stay clear of it" Locke said, and turned to walk around it.

"Beach is that way. Now you want to take the scenic route? We could've gotten a tour guide if you had said something earlier" Sawyer deadpanned.

Daniel knew Locke had another reason for avoiding the light. "Do you know when we are?"

Locke avoided his question. "We need to keep moving"

As they moved through the jungle, Daniel looked at Charlotte. "He knows when we are. I'm guessing we're sometime in - -in 2004, based on his insistence that we avoid the light"

"It makes sense" Charlotte agreed.

"You okay?" Juliet asked Miles.

"I'm peachy" Miles said sarcastically.

Suddenly, a scream ripped through the night. Sawyer pulled the rifle off his bag. "Nobody move. I got this"

Charlotte, Daniel, and Locke didn't listen, and they followed Sawyer silently. Daniel was shocked. He saw Kate, who had left the Island, delivering a baby. Suddenly, another flash happened, and they were again in daylight. Locke emerged from the bushes, acting as if he had no idea what Sawyer had just seen. Daniel and Charlotte slowly backed up so Sawyer wouldn't realize they were spying.

"That woman, she was in Locke's group" Charlotte muttered. "She said she had her baby on the Island" Charlotte stifled a yawn.

"Tired?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, but right now I'm beginning to think that sleeping's overrated" Charlotte remarked.

"You still need sleep" Daniel pointed out.

"Them I'll sleep on the raft. Honest" Charlotte decided. "Do you have any ideas why Miles is having this stuff happen to him?"

"I don't know. I think it has to do with duration of exposure…how long a person's been here, on the Island" Daniel proposed.

Miles overheard. "It doesn't make sense. Those yahoos have been here for months, and the first time I was here was two weeks ago"

Daniel just answered cryptically "Are you sure about that?"

Juliet shouted back to Charlotte, Daniel, and Miles. "Hurry up. The camp's back"

They caught up in time to hear Sawyer calling for Rose and Bernard. Looking around, Daniel noticed the camp was somewhat destroyed, which didn't make sense unless someone else had come here.

"I wonder how long ago this happened" Locke said looking around.

"Let's get some supplies...if there's any left. We can put it in my bag" Daniel offered. They couldn't find any food, but the tarp for the water was still intact so they could at least refill their water bottles.

"What is that?" Daniel heard Juliet ask. He turned to see Locke holding a hope.

"It's Vincent's" Locke informed her.

"Well, where's the dog? Where's our people?" Sawyer asked Locke.

"I don't know, James. I've been with you" Locke replied.

Daniel glanced over to where they had left the raft. "The raft's gone, too"

"Maybe your people left on it" Charlotte theorized while putting the bottles back in Daniel's bag.

"And why the hell would they do that?" Sawyer walked over to Daniel and Charlotte, while Miles wandered around nearby.

"To get away from whoever came in those" Miles pointed to canoes sitting on the beach.

"Where did these come from?" Charlotte asked, while she walked over to look at them.

"They look...old" Daniel observed.

Miles picked up a water bottle. "Not that old. It says Ajira on it"

"What the hell's Ajira?" Sawyer grabbed the bottle out of Miles' hands, and Miles shrugged.

"It's an airline based in India" Juliet studied the canoes as well.

"Maybe we can fly to Vegas tonight, maybe Canada, I ain't picky" Sawyer tossed the bottle over his shoulder. "Are there other Others now?" he asked Juliet.

"How would I know?" Juliet replied.

"Let's get out of here. I don't want to be here when whoever brought these came back" Locke said.

"Guess I'm not going to get my nap" Charlotte said jokingly to Daniel as they pushed the canoe into the water.

When they got in, Locke turned around. "Everyone has to row. It'll be a couple hours till we get there"

"Oh joy" Miles said sarcastically.

"At least our feet are getting a break. Mine are killing me" Charlotte said. A gunshot rang out, followed by more.

"Paddle!" Sawyer shouted, and everyone began to row faster.

"Think they want their boat back?" Miles called.

"Move!" Locke shouted.

"Are these your people?" Charlotte asked Juliet.

"No, are they yours?" Juliet shot back.

"How would I…?" Charlotte began.

"Shut up and keep paddling! They're catching up!" Sawyer shouted over the shots. A humming started. "Thank you, Lord!" Sawyer called to the sky. When the light cleared, they were in the middle of a thunderstorm at night. "I take that back!" Sawyer screamed.

Daniel and Charlotte both chuckled. "Everyone head for shore" Locke instructed.

"Miles, you all right?" Daniel called.

"Yeah, I'm good. My nose isn't even bleeding" Miles called back just as the rain cleared. Soon, they reached shore and they dragged the canoe out of the ocean. "I'm never doing that again" Miles stated.

"Where...and when, are we?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know. We need to wait for morning" Locke looked around. "Let's find a place that's dry so we can rest for a little bit"

Daniel and Charlotte split up to look. After a few minutes, Daniel heard Charlotte shout. "Oy. Come and look!" Daniel ran over, followed by everyone. "It's wreckage. Looks recent"

"Anyone speak French?" Locke asked, and Daniel noticed there was something written on the box. No one spoke up. "All right. Let's move further up the beach. We don't want to run into anyone" A series of groans rang out. "We can leave the canoe"

They trudged along, exhaustion had caught up with everyone. When they couldn't see the wreckage anymore, everyone practically collapsed on the sand. "Daniel" Juliet spoke. "My nose was bleeding"

"How long do you think it'll take to get to the Orchid?" Daniel asked Locke.

"No longer than a day" Locke answered.

"In case you haven't noticed, it's rare we get to experience a full day these days" Sawyer said.

"You'll be fine, Juliet" Daniel reassured her. He knew she would be.

"Let's get some sleep. We're all tired. We'll worry about the new development in the morning" Juliet decided.

Everyone fell asleep quickly, except Daniel. Charlotte had fallen asleep resting her head on his chest, and he just stared at her. She loved him. That thought rang through his head as he fell asleep as well.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 27

"Everyone, wake up. We need to move" Daniel heard Locke say.

Charlotte stirred next to him, which caused Daniel to open his eyes and see Locke standing next to him. "How long were we asleep for?"

Locke glanced at the sky. "Around four hours" He dropped some fruit next to them and moved to wake up Sawyer, Juliet, and Miles, who were still asleep.

Charlotte groaned and sat up. "Only four hours of sleep since this bloody mess began? I'm about ready to kill him" She caught sight of the food and groaned a second time. "More fruit?"

Daniel sat up while she was talking. "Some sleep's better than no sleep. He could've made us keep walking when we got here last night"

"I'd rather have no sleep. I'm more tired now than I was before" Charlotte eyed the food unhappily before taking a bite.

"Here" Daniel handed her a water bottle, and the two ate in silence, watching Locke attempting to wake up Sawyer. "I guess he's…a heavy sleeper" Daniel observed.

"Or he wants to piss off Locke" Charlotte guessed.

"James, wake up" Locke repeated for either the fourth or fifth time.

"It doesn't look like Sleeping Beauty wants to wake up. Maybe you should give him a kiss" Miles rolled his eyes. "He'll get up when he feels like it. What's the problem?"

"The problem is, we need to go to the Orchid so I can fix this before what's happening to you starts happening to the rest of us" Locke answered while walking back to Daniel and Charlotte. "Could I have some water?"

"What? Oh…yeah" Daniel dug in his bag until he pulled out an untouched bottle and handed it to Locke.

"John, what are you doing?" Juliet asked from her position next to Miles.

"I'm trying to wake up James" Locke replied. Once he returned to Sawyer's side, he calmly opened the water and poured it on his face. Daniel was shocked, and he felt Charlotte convulse with silent laughter beside him. Miles snorted, and Juliet looked amused.

The response was immediate. "Son of a bitch" Sawyer sat up, looked around, and saw Locke with the empty water bottle. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"I needed to wake you up" Locke returned the empty bottle to Daniel.

"I didn't ask for a wake-up call" Sawyer stood and glared. Locke walked away without answering, and threw the remaining piece of fruit back at Sawyer. "What's this?" Sawyer asked.

"Breakfast" Locke replied. "Let's go"

"I changed my mind. I think I'll let him live a little longer" Charlotte told Daniel as the two walked past Sawyer, who was standing in shock.

A humming filled the air. "Again? We're gonna go blind if this keeps happening" Miles stated. As soon as he finished talking, another flash took place.

Locke took a moment to let everyone regain their bearings. "We need to move" he said, and began to walk again. Everyone but Sawyer followed. "James, hurry up. We're not waiting" Locke called back. Sawyer soon hurried past Daniel and Charlotte to catch up with Locke, but then backtracked.

"You got anything in that bag of yours I can use to get back at him?" he asked Daniel.

Daniel considered what was in the bag: some water, his journal, a flashlight, and a pen. "No"

"I know you got water" Sawyer moved to open Daniel's bag.

"Sawyer" Charlotte spoke. "You are not using our water for revenge. Who knows when we'll be able to refill the bottles?"

"He gave Johnny one" Sawyer pointed out. When he still wasn't given anything, he moved to the front of the group.

Soon, gunshots rang out. "Not again" Charlotte said exasperatedly.

Sawyer pulled the rifle off his back and moved in the direction they were coming from. The group followed cautiously behind him. They came across a man facing away from them, and Sawyer cocked the rifle. "Turn around slowly" he commanded. The man did, and gasps of shock came from everyone simultaneously when they saw who it was. "Jin?" Sawyer asked in disbelief. The group watched the two men's reunion.

"That's proof right there, people did survive" Charlotte told Daniel.

"Yeah" Daniel replied quietly.

"James" Locke called out. "Let's find a place to rest so we can explain what's going on to Jin"

Jin looked at the group for the first time, and as he did his smile faded. "Where is Sun?"

"She's home, Jin" Locke told him. "Is there anywhere around here we can go to talk?" he asked as he looked around.

"There's a stream nearby" Juliet revealed.

"Lead the way" Locke instructed.

When they got to the stream, Juliet, Locke, and Sawyer attempted to explain what was going on to Jin. Daniel refilled the bottles.

"How are you feeling, Miles?" Daniel asked as Miles sat next to Charlotte.

"I'm all right. Maybe whatever was happening just stopped" Miles answered.

"It - -it doesn't stop" Daniel shook his head.

"Then what's going to happen?" Miles asked.

Daniel looked over at the rest of their group. "If we get to the Orchid in time, nothing"

Miles must have realized that Daniel was done talking about it. "Where'd that guy come from? I thought he was on the boat"

"The blast must've thrown him in the water inside the radius. The same thing that's been happening to us has also been happening to him" Daniel glanced back over.

"What's happening is confusing enough for us, and you're trying to explain it to us. I can't imagine how confused he his" Charlotte looked over at him as well.

Jin stormed away in frustration and approached their group. "Translate. Please, translate"

Daniel had no idea who he could be talking to. As far as he knew, they all only spoke English. Then, he noticed Charlotte's body language. She had stood up without him noticing, and she appeared tense.

"You heard the man, translate" Sawyer told Miles.

Miles appeared clueless. "He's Korean. I'm from Encino"

Jin spoke quickly in Korean. There was a moment of silence. "He wants to how you're sure his wife is off the Island" Charlotte said, and she looked at Daniel. He was somewhat surprised, but he decided to ask her about it a little later. Daniel and Miles both stood up

"You speak Korean, Red?" Sawyer looked like he had earlier when Locke threw the mango at him.

"Obviously" Miles muttered.

The revelation didn't faze Locke. "Tell him I'm sure, and that we need to go to the Orchid"

Charlotte and Jin carried on a conversation in Korean for a minute or two before Jin turned to Locke. "Bring Sun back? Why?"

"She wasn't supposed to leave" Locke answered.

"Charlotte, how long have you spoken Korean?" Daniel moved closer to her and asked.

"Since before I left here" she answered quietly. "A man taught me, and my mother helped"

"So…you speak any other languages?" Daniel was curious. There was a lot he still didn't know about her.

"Just Klingon" Charlotte claimed. Daniel wasn't sure if she was kidding or not. "Dan, I'm joking. I can also speak Latin. I learned that when I lived here, too. And I know some things in a lot of other languages as well. That kind of stuff happens when you're an anthropologist"

"Hey, they're leaving" Miles got their attention. Daniel noticed him stumble when he began to walk.

"What's going to happen to him?" Charlotte asked Daniel.

"If we're able to stop the jumps soon, nothing. If they're not stopped in time…chances are he'll die" Daniel spoke very quietly. He didn't want Miles to hear him.

"Die? How?" Charlotte wasn't expecting that answer.

"A brain aneurysm, probably" Daniel replied. "That's how it happened with Eloise" he stumbled a bit.

"Are you all right? It's not happening to you, is it?" Charlotte looked up at him, and he could see the concern in her eyes.

"I - -I didn't sleep very well" Daniel tried to reassure her. "When I get too tired, it's hard for me to sleep" In reality, he slept fine until he had another dream. This time, he dreamt of her death. When he woke up, he realized he was crying. He watched her breathe until he was able to fall asleep again, and when he did it was uneasy.

Charlotte accepted his answer. "Is this going to work?"

Daniel wasn't sure, so he decided to just say what he was thinking. "It - -it does make sense that since this started at the Orchid that's where it'll stop. But bringing back everyone who left to stop this? I have no idea"

The humming began, and Daniel saw Miles wince in apparent pain. "Come on!" Sawyer screamed.

"Ah!" Miles screamed at the same time as Sawyer. When the light vanished, everyone appeared to have a headache, Charlotte included, which Daniel noticed instantly.

"Charlotte, are you all right?" Daniel put his arm around her shoulders.

"My head's killing me" Charlotte winced. Daniel had no idea how that happened. She had her constant, the necklace. His gaze moved to her neck, which was bare once again. The necklace was gone. Charlotte looked at the same spot. "Oh, no"

"Did you have it before the flash?" Daniel asked urgently.

"I know I had it when we were in the canoe, and when I woke up" Charlotte looked up at him and he could see the fear in her eyes. "Dan…"

"You're going to be okay. You're going to be fine" he reassured her. He looked at her a few more moments, and hugged her.

"They can't come back" Charlotte muttered into his shoulder. "They can't. This place…it's going to kill everyone"

Daniel pulled back to look her in the eye. "Everything's going to be fine, Charlotte. I promise"

Charlotte smiled, but her smile disappeared rather quickly. "Dan, look"

Daniel turned around to see Juliet, Sawyer, Jin, and Locke with nosebleeds and Miles on the ground next to them. His nose was bleeding as well. Daniel and Charlotte went to him, and everyone followed once they realized what had happened. He stirred after a minute.

Miles looked at everyone's faces and sat up slowly. "Guys, I'm fine" No one moved. "Can you move? I'm not claustrophobic, but you're all acting strange"

The group moved back in near unison, and Miles stood up shakily. The group followed his lead. "Miles, are you sure you're all right?" Juliet asked.

"No one here is all right anymore" Miles looked over everyone. "But all things considered, I'm okay"

"Let's go. We have to keep moving" Locke urged.

"Maybe we…should let him rest. Just for a few minutes" Daniel suggested. He could tell that Miles was a lot weaker than he was acting.

Sawyer glared at him. "Flashes are getting closer together. Maybe when your nose starts bleeding, or your girlfriend's nose, you'll realize we gotta get the hell out of here. Now. We don't have time to sit around"

This time, the flash came with practically no warning. Or maybe they were too preoccupied with what was happening to them. "Damn it!" Sawyer shouted when the light cleared. Miles almost collapsed again, but he remained standing.

"We have to move. Now" Locke said with even more urgency.

Juliet looked at Charlotte. "We're running out of time"

Daniel looked at Charlotte as well, and noticed her nose was bleeding."Okay" Daniel said with determination. "Let's go"

While walking, Sawyer voiced the question that was on Daniel's mind. "We don't know when we are. What happens if the Orchid isn't here?"

"Look for a well" Charlotte said confidently as she finished cleaning off the blood. Everyone looked at her like she wasn't making any sense.

"A well?" Daniel asked her when everyone wasn't paying attention.

"It'll do the same thing as the Orchid" Charlotte replied.

"How - -how do you know that?" Daniel glanced up and saw Miles stumble again. Juliet moved to support him.

"I'm not sure" Charlotte admitted. "He doesn't look so good"

"He's getting weaker. He's pushing himself too far" Daniel said. "But it's his decision"

Locke stopped, and they looked at the remnants of a greenhouse. "We're here"

Juliet laughed. "Thank God. What are the chances it'd be here?" Another flash occurred, and Miles collapsed.

The Orchid was gone. "You just had to say something" Sawyer glared at her. Daniel looked down at Miles. He was breathing, but looked catatonic, the same way Desmond looked when Daniel met him at Oxford.

"Let's carry him. We need to find that well" Locke told them. Jin and Sawyer looked at each other, and then picked him up.

Locke quickly found the well. When Sawyer saw it, he looked over at Charlotte. "How the hell did you know this was here?"

"I know more than you think about this Island" Charlotte walked to the well.

"Mind filling me in?" Sawyer asked as he and Jin followed her with Miles.

"I do mind, actually" Daniel heard Charlotte say.

Sawyer and Jin placed Miles on the ground before joining everyone else around the well.

"Charlotte" Daniel whispered. "How did you know this was here?"

"I ran off one day. It was a little before my mum and I left, I think" Charlotte glanced around, but no one was listening. Everyone was watching Locke pulling on a rope. "I don't remember how, but I ended up at the Orchid. I started to look around, and I saw the well. My dad was the one who found me. I was walking along the edge of it. He pulled me down so fast. When he was taking me back, he told me that where I was was dangerous, and what was in the well was what people were studying at the Orchid"

"Do you have any idea why you ran away?" Daniel asked.

"A little. I was talking to a man, and he scared me. He told me that if I came back once I left, something terrible was going to happen to me. I don't remember the specifics. I don't even remember what he looked like" Charlotte chuckled. "Most kids run to their parents when they're scared. Not me"

Sawyer directed their attention back to the well. "You goin' down there? What are you hoping to find?" he asked Locke.

"A way off the Island, James" Locke pulled on the rope again.

"Johnny Boy, I hate to burst your bubble but I don't think there's a subway station down there" Sawyer pointed out.

"Goodbye everyone. I'll see you when I get back" Locke prepared to climb down into the well.

"Locke, wait" Charlotte stopped him. "Why do you have to bring everyone back?"

"Because that's how it works" Locke again began to climb onto the well.

"Just, don't bring back Aaron. Or Sun. Aaron and her baby deserve to grow up somewhere else besides here" Charlotte explained.

"Don't bring back Sun" Jin pleaded after hearing Charlotte's words.

"I have to" Locke tried to reason with him.

"No. I cut this!" Jin held a knife to the rope.

"If you do that, we'll all die" Locke began to panic.

Jin still held the knife steady. "This Island is bad. Don't bring back Sun. Don't bring my baby! Promise"

"Okay, okay. I promise" Locke agreed. Jin slowly let go of the rope and lowered the knife. Locke looked Jin in the eye. "I won't talk to her, but she might find me. What do I tell her?"

"Tell her I dead. You find me on beach and bury me" Jin took off his wedding ring and handed it to Locke. "Proof"

Locke put the ring in his pocket. "I'll be back" He climbed onto the platform built inside the well and gripped the rope. He hesitated a moment.

Noticing his hesitation, Daniel stepped forward. "Do you want us to lower you?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Locke chuckled.

"Locke, if this works…"Charlotte moved next to Daniel before trailing off.

Daniel looked at her, then continued what she was going to say. "Thank you" Juliet and Sawyer nodded in agreement.

"You're welcome" Locke replied. He slowly began to lower himself down the well, with everyone watching his progress. Miles was nearly forgotten. A humming began but Locke hadn't reached the bottom.

"Son of a bitch" Sawyer muttered before grabbing the rope. "Damn it, Locke. Hold on!"

When the light cleared, there was no well, and the rope was buried in the ground. "Dan" Charlotte got his attention.

"What?" he looked at her curiously.

"Your nose" she replied, keeping her voice down as to not worry anyone else. No one needed to know that they were all experiencing the side-effects.

Daniel quickly reached up and wiped the blood off. "That's…definitely not good. How's Miles?"

They turned and he was still where Sawyer and Jin and left him, and he hadn't moved at all. "Is he dead?" Charlotte asked.

Daniel searched for a pulse. "He's still alive. Are you all right?"

"For now, yeah" she paused for a second. "Daniel, that man I told you about, I remember more now. He said that I was going to die, and…I think it was you"

"Charlotte, wherever Locke is, whenever he is, I have a feeling he's still going to be able to do what needs to be done. You're not going to die"

Charlotte looked back at Miles. "I hope so"

"Come on and help" Sawyer shouted. Daniel looked over, and saw him digging at the ground with his bare hands.

"James, we can't help him" Juliet said calmly as he touched his shoulder.

"What happened?" a groggy and confused voice caused everyone to look in the direction it came from. Miles had woken up.

Juliet walked to Miles, and Daniel handed her a bottle of water. "Once we reached the Orchid, there was another flash. You passed out. We carried you over here" She opened it and gave some for Miles to drink.

"Where's Locke? And where's here?" Miles looked around.

"There was a well here. Locke went down it, but there was another flash" Juliet explained.

"And now the well's gone, and Locke could be buried alive under us" Sawyer growled.

"Locke…he's going to be fine. Whatever that well led to, it's probably still down there. Which means…he's not buried alive" Daniel spoke quietly.

"What the hell's down there?" Sawyer asked, but Daniel didn't answer. "Red?" Charlotte didn't either. "You knew about the well. Mind sharing that information now?"

She looked at Daniel. "Charlotte, maybe you should. If - -if what you said earlier is true, then they're going to find out eventually" he convinced her.

"Find out what, Danny Boy?" Sawyer pressed.

"Stop" Charlotte said. "I lived here, until I was four. My parents were members of the Dharma Initiative"

Daniel looked over at the rest of the group, and three shocked faces stared back at him. Miles whispered "And you acted like you had no idea what I was talking about"


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

A/N: This story is now AU in more ways than one. I've just learned that Charlotte was born in 1970, but I'm not going to go back and change it. I'd have to change a lot more besides that. Also, ignore about how in LaFleur the well is filled with rocks and stones. In my story, it's not going to be filled up until after little Charlotte leaves.

Chapter 28

"When the hell are we now?" Sawyer asked. It was an odd question after Charlotte's revelation, but no one was sure what to say.

"It's before the well was built" Juliet pointed out needlessly.

Daniel began to look around, and stopped when a statue caught his eye. "I'd say we're a - -a long time before it was built"

"What are you talking about, Dan?" Charlotte looked in the same direction as Daniel. "Oh my God" she whispered.

Everyone else looked up, and saw the statue that had caught Daniel and Charlotte's attention. Daniel had no idea what it could be. All he knew was that if it was on the Island in any other time they were in, he would've noticed.

"What is that thing?" Sawyer asked.

"It looks Egyptian, like one of their gods. I can't be sure, though. I'd need to see the front" Charlotte still hadn't taken her eyes off of it.

"I'm guessing that wasn't here in Dharma time" Sawyer stated. He still hadn't looked away either.

"If it was, I would've remembered it" Charlotte replied.

"This is…unbelievable. I wish I knew what year this was" Daniel started to look around to see if anything near him could give him any indication.

A rumbling started, slow at first then becoming faster and louder. The humming followed, and the flash was last. It felt like Daniel's head was going to split in two, and he fell to the ground. He couldn't see anything around him, even if he tried.

Suddenly, it stopped. Daniel slowly looked up and noticed everyone was on the ground, not just him. They were all moving cautiously as well. "What the hell was that?" Sawyer voiced the thought in everyone's heads.

"It felt like an earthquake" Daniel thought out loud. Sawyer sprung up and moved to the well. Daniel looked to his side and noticed Charlotte was still lying on the ground with her eyes shut. "Charlotte" he called out. She didn't move. "Charlotte!" he shouted louder. Still no response. He immediately moved closer to her and grabbed her hand.

Juliet moved towards the two. "What's wrong?"

"Charlotte, she's not…she's not moving" Daniel kept his eyes locked on Charlotte. Juliet gently rolled Charlotte onto her back. A large gash was on her forehead. Daniel gasped at the sight of it. "Is she okay? Please tell me she's all right" he pleaded.

Juliet examined Charlotte quickly. "She's fine, Daniel. She must've hit her head during the flash. All we can do is wait for her to wake up" Juliet then moved to examine Miles. His eyes were no longer open, but he was breathing normally. "Miles isn't waking up, either" she told him.

Daniel wasn't listening. He was still focused on Charlotte. He dug in his bag, and he found a rag, surprisingly. He used a water bottle to wet it, and he began to wipe the blood off her face gently.

"My headache's gone" Sawyer said to Juliet.

"Mine is, too" Juliet spoke as if she was just realizing it.

"None of our noses are bleeding" Sawyer noticed. "Danny Boy, what do you make of this?" Daniel didn't reply. "Danny? Earth to Plato"

"What?" Daniel answered, but his eyes still didn't leave Charlotte.

"Our headaches are gone and our noses ain't bleeding" Sawyer repeated.

"That means that Locke fixed it" Daniel stated. He looked up at Sawyer, Juliet, and Jin. "What do we do? Miles and Charlotte…they're both unconscious"

"Let's go to the barracks. They were destroyed, but they might have supplies there" Juliet suggested.

"And how are we supposed to get Red and Genghis there?" Sawyer noticed the flaw in her plan.

"We carry them" Juliet stated calmly. "You and Jin will need to carry Miles. Daniel, will you be okay carrying Charlotte?"

"Yeah. Could you help me lift her, though?" Daniel asked.

"Of course" Juliet answered. The two lifted Charlotte cautiously, and once Daniel had her in his arms Juliet stepped back. "Is this good?"

"It's fine" Daniel held her close to him. He was going to make sure nothing happened to her. He promised.

They moved through the jungle as fast as they could, while taking many breaks. Sawyer kept complaining about Miles' weight. Daniel's arms were beginning to feel sore and tired, but he wasn't going to say anything. She was still alive. He didn't care about what happened to him. She was still alive and he wanted to keep it that way.

On one of their last breaks, two men approached them with bags and rope. They moved to attack Juliet first, but Sawyer cocked his rifle and pointed it at them. One man brought out a gun as well, and shot at Daniel, who moved out of the way just in time. Without thinking, Sawyer quickly shot both of the men. After they went down, he observed the two men. They were obviously dead. Even Daniel could see that. Everyone looked around, silently asking what they should do.

Juliet broke the silence. "We need to move. They're others. As soon as it's discovered they're gone, they'll begin searching for them. We don't want to be found anywhere near the bodies"

Daniel quickly gathered Charlotte in his arms, and Sawyer and Jin quickly picked up Miles, and they traveled as fast as they could escape to the barracks. When they reached the barracks, none of them were prepared for what they saw. It was a fully functioning town, and everyone was wearing Dharma jumpsuits. A young woman with a child noticed them. She sent her son back into the house, and she approached the pylons.

"Are you a hostile? What are you doing here?" she said.

"Please. We need help" Juliet spoke up.

"We won't help hostiles" the woman repeated. "Leave, before there's a problem"

"We don't know anything about hostiles. Our boat crashed here, and when we were looking for supplies we saw tire tracks, so we followed them here" Sawyer lied flawlessly.

Daniel looked down, and saw he was standing in tire tracks. He had to give Sawyer credit. He thought fast. The woman sized them up. "I'll be right back"

When she returned, two men were following her. One had long hair, and the other looked Asian. "They said their boat crashed here" the woman finished her explanation.

The two men looked at the group. "We'll bring them in, but we need to confirm their story. For now, they'll stay in the rec room" the Asian man decided. The second man walked over and pushed a few buttons on a keypad. The Asian man strolled towards the group and said "Come with me"

He led them to the rec room, and while they were walking people gave them curious looks. Upon arrival, Daniel set Charlotte down gently on a couch and smoothed the hair away from her face. Sawyer and Jin put Miles on a second couch.

"Before you do anything, can you bring someone in to look at them?" Sawyer gestured to Charlotte and Miles. "Red here hit her head pretty hard. She managed to make it to the beach, but she collapsed once she got there. Miles passed out when we were following the tire tracks. Neither of them have woken up"

"I'll bring the Doctor here shortly" the Asian man agreed.

"So, when are we now?" Sawyer hissed to Daniel as soon as the man left.

"The Dharma Initiative is here, so that means its…" Daniel went to look for his journal.

"Seventies, maybe eighties" Juliet filled in and sat on another chair.

Jin sat down as well. Sawyer remained standing, and Daniel stopped searching and sat on the edge of the couch Charlotte was on.

"This is nuts" Sawyer spoke.

The doctor did come back with the Asian man. While he checked out Charlotte and Miles, the Asian man spoke to the rest of the group. "We've confirmed your story. There was a storm this morning, and our radar picked up a boat right before it began. I am Dr. Pierre Chang, and I am in charge of the Dharma Initiative. The woman that found you is Amy Goodspeed. Her husband, Horace, is my second in command. We're going to let you stay until your friends heal, and then you can leave on the first sub off this Island. I'm sure you'd like to return to your families. What are your names?"

"I'm Jim. This is Juliet, and that's Jin" Sawyer pointed to each of them in turn. "The girl on the couch is Charlotte, and the guy sitting next to her is Daniel. And the guy on that couch is Miles"

"Can I ask what you were doing?" Chang asked.

"We were on an expedition, searching for a shipwreck. The Black Rock" Sawyer shook his head. "Storm hit, and we ended up here"

During all of this, the doctor quickly examined Miles and Charlotte. He stood up and addressed the group. "The woman, Charlotte, should be fine. She'll need stitches and she has a concussion, but other than that nothing's wrong with her. I'd like to keep her in the infirmary until she wakes up. It appears that Miles is in a coma. The only thing I can think of that caused this is hitting his head when your boat wrecked. He will also need to be moved to the infirmary. I'll get someone to help me move them" The doctor left the room quickly.

"Dan?" Charlotte whispered.

He immediately turned back to her and began to stroke her hair. "I'm right here, Char. I'm right here"

She blinked a few times and looked around. "What happened?" Her eyes went wide when she saw Chang.

"We hit a storm, and our boat wrecked" Sawyer explained smoothly. "Their Doc thinks you have a concussion, and you're head's gonna need stitches"

"What?" Charlotte appeared confused.

"I'll explain everything later" Daniel whispered reassuringly.

She struggled to sit up. "Where are we?" Daniel quickly sat next to her and handed her the cloth he used to clean her blood earlier. She pressed it up against the cut and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"You are in the Dharma Initiative compound. We live here on this Island" Chang explained. Charlotte's head lifted off Daniel's shoulder in shock, but she didn't ask anything else. In less than a minute, her head was back where it had started.

"You all right?" Daniel whispered.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My head hurts, that's all" Charlotte reassured him.

"Is it like before?" Daniel became a little worried.

"No. It feels like I hit my head on something and that thing got it's revenge" Charlotte whispered back.

The doctor returned to the room with two stretchers and three other people. "Oh, you're up" he said when he saw Charlotte. "That's good" he looked at the people with them and two of them left, taking the second stretcher with them. Miles was quickly transferred, and the doctor looked at Charlotte. "Come with me"

"Can - -can we go with them?" Daniel asked quickly.

"Do you have a reason to?" the doctor wasn't sure what to say.

"She's Daniel's girlfriend" Sawyer said. "And since they're all I've got left of my crew, we should stick together"

The doctor looked over at Chang. "They can go" he told him, and the doctor nodded.

"Okay, everyone follow me" the doctor stated, and they all left the rec room. It didn't take long to reach the infirmary, and soon Miles and Charlotte were settled in. As soon as the doctor finished Charlotte's stitches, a man ran in and told him there was an emergency. The doctor left immediately.

"He's gone. Can someone tell me what's going on?" Charlotte demanded. "And what's wrong with Miles?"

"Locke fixed what was happening, but we didn't go back to our own time" Daniel explained.

"All right, so why are we with the Dharma Initiative?" Charlotte asked.

"When the last flash happened, you must've hit your head when you fell" Juliet spoke calmly. "We were searching for medical supplies for you, so we decided to come here. When we got here, there were a ton of people wearing Dharma jumpsuits. Eventually, we got brought in and the doctor looked at you. You woke up right after he left"

"As for Miles…" Daniel began. "I think the flashes have something to do with his condition. All we can do is wait and see if - -if he improves or not"

"Where are we going to stay?" Charlotte wondered.

"We don't know" Juliet answered.

"When they decide to ask us more questions, let me do the talking" Sawyer instructed.

"You think you can make our story believable?" Charlotte asked.

"They picked up a boat on their radar. This'll be easier than what I'm used to. Besides, I'm a professional. I used to lie for a living" Sawyer boasted.

When the doctor returned, he brought Chang with him. "I'm told that you're doing fine now" he addressed Charlotte. She nodded in response. "Come with me. You guys are going to stay with Horace and Amy for now while we figure out your housing situation"

"What about Miles?" Jin asked. He had been watching everything silently.

"Your friend is going to stay here" Chang said. The group left and followed Chang. When they reached the yard he stopped. "Who's in charge?"

"James is" Juliet said. Daniel looked around, but no one seemed willing to contradict her.

"You come with me. Everyone else, stay here" Chang instructed, and he walked into the house with Sawyer.

They sat in silence around a table and Charlotte groaned. "We're in trouble. He's probably explaining about time travel right now"

"Sawyer's going to be fine" Juliet was staring off into the distance.

"What - -what is it?" Daniel looked in the direction Juliet was looking, trying to see what was so interesting.

"I lived her for over three years. My house was over there" Juliet nodded discreetly to it.

"The Dharma Initiative wasn't here when we got here" Charlotte pointed out.

"The Others took over these Barracks and wiped out most of the people living in them. They brought me here on a sub a long time after that" Juliet answered Charlotte's unspoken question.

"Oh my God" she whispered in shock. She glanced over at Daniel. "My dad. I knew he was dead, but he was murdered"

Juliet heard Charlotte's revelation. "Charlotte, for what it's worth, I'm sorry"

"It's fine. I'm fine" Charlotte glanced around absently. "It just caught me off guard"

"Daniel" Jin asked. "No more flash?"

"No. No more flash. The record is spinning again. We're just not on the song we want to be on" Daniel answered.

Charlotte gasped. Daniel turned to see what she was staring at, and he saw a heavily pregnant woman with red hair walking past with a man. "Charlotte, are those…your parents?"

"Yes" she said faintly. Everyone at the table heard her, though, and turned to look at the couple. They all exchanged glances after seeing the two people, but Charlotte's eyes were still glued to her father.

"Hello" an unfamiliar voice caught their attention. Daniel noticed Charlotte blink rapidly, obviously trying to clear her thoughts. "Someone will be along shortly to show you to your rooms. Mr. LaFleur can fill you in" Horace nodded at them, and he walked away.

"LaFleur?" Charlotte asked. She appeared amused.

"Had to improvise" Sawyer spoke quickly. "They believe us, but they changed their minds about how long we're staying. We're all gettin' on the sub tomorrow to go to Tahiti, Miles included"

"What?" Charlotte asked. "We're in Dharma time. 1979. We have nothing to go to"

An alarm blared, and Horace quickly ushered them into his house. "Amy, keep an eye on them" he told her before returning back outside as the alarm stopped. Daniel watched as Richard Alpert strolled casually across the barracks before meeting Horace at a bench. He turned to Charlotte, who was standing next to him and looked just as surprised as he did.

"Uh oh" Sawyer muttered.

Daniel and Charlotte sat down at the kitchen table, but Sawyer and Juliet remained at the window. "When we ran into him, did he look like he was wearing eyeliner?" Charlotte asked Daniel quietly so Amy couldn't overhear. Daniel gave her a strange look. "Never mind"

Suddenly, a little boy toddled unsteadily into the kitchen and tugged on Amy's pants. "Ethan, what are you doing up?" Sawyer and Juliet whirled around quickly to stare at the little boy. Daniel noticed their reaction was suspicious, but Amy didn't notice anything.

"Noise wake me up. Where daddy?" Ethan asked.

"Daddy's taking care of something. Let's go back to bed" Amy suggested.

"No!" Ethan refused.

"I'm so sorry about him" Amy apologized. "I'm going to take him back to his room. Don't leave"

"Ethan? As in Ethan Rom?" Sawyer hissed to Juliet.

"I think so, but I can't be sure. It would make sense" Juliet answered softly.

"Ethan? Took Charlie and Claire?" Jin asked urgently.

"I don't know, Jin" Juliet whispered.

"You - -you know him? In the future?" Daniel was following their conversation intently.

"We knew an Ethan. It may be him, it may not be" Juliet answered.

Amy returned before anything else could be said. Soon after Amy came back, Horace ran through the door. Horace looked straight at Sawyer. "LaFleur, what'd you do with those bodies?"

"Nothing. I left them and we kept moving" Sawyer replied. "What's the problem?"

"That guy out there, he's one of the Hostiles. So are the two guys you shot. Someone found their bodies" He sighed and turned to the man that entered with him. "Phil, call the arrow. Tell them we're at Condition One. Take the heavy ordnance, and make sure the fence is at a maximum"

"Let me talk to him" Sawyer walked over to Horace.

"Excuse me?" Horace didn't make down.

"Your buddy out there with the eyeliner, let me talk to him" Sawyer elaborated. Daniel heard a soft chuckle come from Charlotte.

"We had a truce with them. You don't understand" Horace tried to explain.

"I understand that I killed those men, and that means I'm the one that should go out there and explain why" Sawyer wasn't backing down.

"I can't let you do that" Horace shook his head.

"I ain't asking for your permission" Sawyer pushed past Horace and left the house. Juliet moved to stop him, but he was too fast.

"What is he doing?" Charlotte asked. "Is he insane?"

"I'm beginning to think so" Juliet shook her head and sat back down.

Daniel and Charlotte moved quickly to the window, followed by Jin. Juliet remained in her chair. Within ten minutes, he was back. "It's taken care of" Sawyer informed them all.

"Jim" Horace said. "The sub leaving tomorrow, it's coming back in two weeks. You can stay and look for the rest of your crew until then" Sawyer nodded his thanks. "Now, I'll show you where you guys will be staying. Do you mind sharing a house?"

"We'll be fine" Sawyer agreed.

When they reached the house, Juliet glanced around. "I don't care where I sleep. I'm going for a walk"

Sawyer quickly claimed a room and went after her. Daniel, Charlotte, and Jin explored the house and realized that there were two rooms. The room Sawyer had claimed had another bed in it, so Jin took that room as well. Daniel and Charlotte stood in the doorway of the second room, where there was only one bed.

"I - -I can sleep somewhere else. You take the bed" Daniel offered. He wouldn't mind staying with her, but he wasn't sure if she'd be comfortable about it.

"Dan, don't be ridiculous" Charlotte looked up at him and smiled. "We shared a tent on the Island. That tent was probably only a little bigger than the bed. We can share"

"Are you sure? Because…I'll sleep on the floor, if - -if you want" Daniel offered a second time.

"We're going to share the bed. We both deserve something comfortable to sleep on. The beds on the freighter weren't very comfortable, they were only a little better than the ground" Charlotte decided.

"You're okay with it?" Daniel didn't know if she was joking or not.

"I'm fine with it, Dan. It's no problem" Charlotte chuckled. She grabbed his hand and they walked into the room and sat on the bed. "I feel like we should still be running. I think not running is going to take some getting used to. Is Miles going to be all right?"

Daniel was silent a long moment. "Only time will tell"


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 29

When Daniel woke up, he was disoriented for a moment. He had been used to sleeping on the ground since they had arrived on the Island, and on the freighter there were constant noises throughout the night. Instead of experiencing the uncomfortable ground made somewhat bearable by blankets, or the noises that kept him up on the freighter, he was sleeping on a soft bed and silence surrounded him.

He opened his eyes to see sunlight streaming through a window. He looked around and noticed Charlotte asleep, curled up next to him. At seeing Charlotte, the events of the previous day came to mind. They were in 1979, in the compound that was currently inhabited by the Dharma Initiative.

He slowly slipped out of bed and when he opened the door he saw Jin standing in the doorway. Daniel took a step back and blinked. "Jin?"

"Daniel. Here. For you and Charlotte" Jin handed Daniel a stack of clothes that he hadn't noticed before.

"Thank you, Jin" Daniel glanced around the hall to see if anyone else was around, but there was no one around that he could see.

"You're welcome" Jin nodded slightly and left.

After putting the clothes for Charlotte at the foot of the bed, Daniel began to search for the bathroom. He had been too tired to think of a shower the night before, but now he knew he was long overdue for one. Fortunately, he found it quickly. When he was finished, he picked up his tie and looked in the mirror, wondering if he should wear it or not. the shirt he was given was similar to the one he was wearing the previous day. With that realization, he put his tie back on. After, he walked around to get a feel of the house. He saw Juliet asleep on the couch, and he couldn't help but wonder if she was comfortable or not.

When he entered the kitchen, he saw Sawyer and Jin sitting at the table eating. "Dan, you're still wearing that tie?" Sawyer said as soon as he noticed Daniel's entrance.

"Is - -is that a problem?" Daniel pulled at the tie awkwardly, wondering if wearing it was a mistake.

"I figured you'd at least want to wash it. Besides, they gave us enough clothes to last us the next two weeks" Sawyer said. "There's probably another tie in there somewhere"

Daniel glanced back into the living room, and noticed a pile of clothes sitting on one of the chairs. "I don't need another tie, Sawyer"

"It's Jim" Sawyer corrected him.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"Jim. I'm Jim here, not Sawyer" Sawyer stated simply.

"Sorry, sorry. I forgot" Daniel apologized quickly as he backed up.

Sawyer shrugged it off. "Hungry? Those Dharma people dropped off food bright and early this mornin' with the clothes. Damn idiots woke me up"

"How'd you hear them?" Charlotte asked while she walked into the room. "Juliet's closer to the door than you"

"Okay, fine. You got me. They woke up Juliet, and she woke me up. Went back to sleep when I was talking to the long-haired hippie" Sawyer took a large bite of his eggs and smiled after swallowing. "Sure you guys don't want any? I'd eat it all, but then I'd look like Hugo"

"We'll have some" Daniel decided. He and Charlotte quickly grabbed plates and silverware and grabbed some eggs and bacon. "Who…made this?" Daniel asked once he sat at the table.

"I called Denny's. It took a bit of arguing to get them to come, but I can be very persuasive" Sawyer leaned back and smirked.

"Dan, did you put the clothes on the bed for me?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah. Jin, he brought us some up this morning" Daniel answered.

Juliet was the last to wake up. She walked into the kitchen and looked at Daniel and Charlotte. "They fit?" Daniel and Charlotte nodded, too busy eating to answer verbally. "Good. I wasn't sure if they would or not"

Charlotte swallowed quickly. "Sawyer…"

"Jim" Sawyer corrected. "You people can't pick up on that?"

"Jim" Charlotte amended "said he was the one that sorted the clothes. And the food. He said you answered the door, woke him up, then went back to sleep"

"No. Horace showed up a little after seven. I answered the door and sorted the clothes into piles. James came down when I was putting the food away. He said I was making too much noise. He convinced me to let him finish putting the food away and all but demanded I go back to sleep. I told him what piles of clothes went to each person, and to tell you when you came down" Juliet hurried around the kitchen, piling the rest of the eggs and bacon on her plate.

"That works too" Sawyer shrugged.

Daniel slightly rolled his eyes. He felt Charlotte nudge him, and when he looked over he saw a smirk playing across her lips. "I'm glad you kept the tie"

"Really? It isn't too much?" Daniel tugged on it. He was already unsure about wearing the tie because of Sawyer's comment.

"No. It's you. It works perfectly" Charlotte smiled a genuine smile.

"What are we doing today?" Jin asked slowly.

"I'm gonna talk to Horace, see if he'll let us look for our people. Rose, Bernard, even the damn dog" Sawyer said.

"What if he doesn't?" Juliet looked over at him.

"He will" Sawyer replied confidently.

"He might send people with us, to make sure we don't run into the…Hostiles" Daniel pointed out a flaw in Sawyer's plan.

"If we find anyone, I'm sure they'll go along with it" Sawyer still believed his plan was flawless.

"He's probably right, Dan. We were all together still when you explained about time travel. if they see people in Dharma jumpsuits, they'll know we're not when we're supposed to be. They might already know" Charlotte spoke.

"Before you talk to Horace, we should check on Miles" Daniel said.

"Do you think he'll wake up before they try to send us back?" Sawyer casually observed Daniel.

"It's unpredictable. I think his mind is traveling now. The flashes caused his brain to become…dislodged from time. It all depends on if he can make himself come back to the present or not" Daniel explained. They all sat and absorbed what Daniel had told them for a moment.

"Juliet" Charlotte broke the silence. "Did you happen to see if there were any records here?"

"I saw some, but I didn't look at them" Juliet answered. "They're in the living room, next to the television"

Charlotte smiled her thanks, put her dishes in the sink, and left the kitchen. Daniel quickly followed her actions. When he entered the living room, he saw her searching through all the records. "What are you looking for?"

"Geronimo Jackson" Charlotte didn't look up from her searching.

"What's that?" Daniel moved to look over her shoulder.

"It's a band. I loved them when I lived here. I haven't spoken to anyone that's heard of them since I left" She pulled a record out. "Found it!" She quickly played it and sat on the couch and absorbed the music.

Daniel sat next to her and slowly put his arm around her shoulder. Charlotte relaxed into his embrace, and they sat in silence listening to the music until Juliet walked in.

"Hey, we're going to be leaving to see Miles now. Are you ready?" She looked sorry about intruding.

"Just let me turn this off" Charlotte sighed and stood up. Once they were ready, the five left their temporary home and walked to the infirmary.

"'Hi" the doctor greeted them when they walked in. "Here to see your friend?"

"How is he?" Daniel asked as he craned his neck to look around.

"The same" the doctor stepped aside and they all saw Miles on a hospital bed. "You can stay for a little bit, but not long. There's not that much space here"

They surrounded Miles' bed and stood in silence. After five minutes passed, the doctor walked over. "I hate to rush you out, but I just got a call. Someone got hurt, and they're bringing him in"

"We understand" Charlotte said.

"Thanks for letting us see him" Juliet added.

Once they exited the infirmary, Sawyer pushed ahead of the rest of them. "Where are you going?" Daniel asked.

"I'm lookin' for the chief, remember?" Sawyer called back.

"Do - -do you think we should follow him?" Daniel asked Charlotte.

"We should" Jin said.

"He's right" Charlotte spoke up. They hesitated and then hurried after him. When they rounded a corner they saw Sawyer leaning casually against a tree. "What took you so long?"

Daniel just exchanged glances with Charlotte, and they both shrugged. Sawyer didn't move. "Aren't we looking for Horace?" Charlotte asked.

"He's right over there" Sawyer pointed.

Daniel looked over. Sawyer was right. Horace was talking to someone just a little further down the path. "Figures" Charlotte muttered. "Do you always have to be so difficult Jim?"

"Difficult? Red, I'm not the one who knocked out Kate, or fought Juliet while Danny Boy was messing around with a toxic gas" Sawyer said quietly so they wouldn't be overheard.

"I did it for a reason" Charlotte shot back.

"Char, calm down, okay? We - -we don't want to make a scene" Daniel moved in between her and Sawyer and looked at her.

"Hey, Horace" Sawyer called, and he approached the group.

"LaFleur, what can I do for you?" Horace asked.

"I want to go look for the rest of my crew" Sawyer said, and it was obvious he was expecting permission without a problem.

"I know you want to look for the rest of your people, but I have security on it. If they're here, we'll find them" Horace glanced around at everyone else. "If that's all…"

"You're security people don't know them. I do. I'll probably have a better chance of finding them" Sawyer smirked.

"You might know them better, but you don't know this Island at all" Horace said.

"Then can we go with your security people? If they find my crew, they probably won't wanna go with them, especially if they ran into the Hostiles" Sawyer thought quickly.

"If you do, you have to stay out of their way. Don't run off on your own. This Island is dangerous outside of the barracks and stations" Horace agreed.

"We will" Juliet agreed.

"Okay. Stay here, and I'll let security know you're coming with them" Horace turned and pulled a walkie out of his jumpsuit pocket. "Phil? It's Horace. LaFleur and his group want to come with you to look for their crew"

Phil's voice sounded from the walkie. "Did you tell them to stay out of our way?"

"Yes" Horace answered.

"Then it's fine. Bring them to the security room, but don't let them in" Phil decided.

"We're leaving now" Horace told him, then hung up and turned back to everyone else. "Let's go" When the group reached the security building, Horace stopped Sawyer from entering. "No. You stay here"

When Horace disappeared inside, Sawyer moved to follow but Juliet stopped him. "James, don't"

"I - -I don't think we're going to find them" Daniel stared off into the distance.

"What?" Jin asked. Charlotte translated quickly, and Jin said something back.

"He wants to know why you think that. We all do" Charlotte told Daniel.

"Think about it. We get attacked by - -by people with flaming arrows. We almost got shot more than once. Two people that we know of were killed by…land mines. Miles, he almost died from the jumps, and we were right behind them. What are the odds that everyone else survived that?" Daniel made sure to keep his voice down.

"What are the odds that we would survive that?" Charlotte took his hand in hers. "Dan, normal rules don't seem to apply here. I'm standing next to you, while my mother is pregnant with me. Everyone says time travel is impossible, but we've all experienced it. Since we're alive, there's a good chance a few other people are, too"

Daniel thought about what Charlotte said. "It…makes sense, but…I hope they are"

"Charlotte, translate" Jin asked her.

As Charlotte explained to Jin what they had just said, Daniel thought about it. Charlotte's theory made a lot of sense. If they managed to survive, why couldn't everyone else?

Horace exited the building, with another man and Phil following behind him. "Everyone, this is Phil and Jerry" he introduced them. "Guys, this is Jim and…I don't remember your names"

Sawyer jumped in. "Juliet, Jin, Charlotte, and Daniel" When Sawyer spoke their names, everyone made some movement so Phil and Jerry would know who was who. "Is this all that's going?"

"Yeah. We don't have many people on security, and Phil and Jerry know this Island pretty well. If the rest of your crew is here, they haven't approached any of our stations or the compound, so we'll be searching in Hostile territory. It's a risk, but one we're going to have to take" Horace explained. "I hope you find them soon. If the Hostiles get a hold of them, you'll probably never see your crew again"

"In the van. Now" Phil told them before stalking off.

"It's nice to meet you" Jerry said conversationally. "We're going to search around the beach first. That's the most likely place they'll be"

"Jerry, come on" Phil shouted.

"He's in a bad mood" Sawyer observed.

"No. He's always like that" Jerry said as he headed to the van.

The five followed quickly, none of them willing to get on Phil's bad side. The ride to the beach was filled with a tense silence. Phil stopped the van suddenly when the beach was in view. "We're walking from here"

"Why?" Sawyer asked.

"Driving a car on the sand isn't a good idea" Daniel answered before Phil could. "The car could get damaged"

"Wow Einstein, I didn't know that" Sawyer said sarcastically.

"You asked a question and he answered. You don't need to get pissed off about it" Charlotte defended Daniel.

The group hadn't been searching long when Daniel spotted paw prints in the sand. "Hey, come here. I think these are - -are…"

"Vincent's" Juliet finished as she approached him. "James, I think we found the dog"

"You had a dog on your ship?" Phil asked suspiciously.

"Yeah. Kept morale up" Sawyer sauntered over to look at the prints as well.

Daniel wandered away when Sawyer approached and ended up standing at the edge of the ocean. Charlotte caught up with him. "Dan, I don't remember there being a dog"

"There was. They put your…transponder on it when we got here. We thought we found you…and then the dog came out of - -of the trees" Daniel muttered.

"I was wondering what they had done with that" Charlotte mused. "Why was there a dog on the plane anyway?"

"I'm…not sure. It came and went. Didn't seem like it belonged to anyone" Daniel remembered."The only time I remember seeing it was then"

"How do you know it was on the plane then?" Charlotte asked.

"Kate. She called it by its name when she saw it" Daniel remembered.

They stood in silence for a few minutes. "This brings back memories" Charlotte stated. "We sat or stood near the water almost every night before the flashes started"

"Charlotte, Daniel" Jin ran behind them. "Vincent"

"What about Vincent?" Charlotte turned around.

"Listen" Jin told them. Daniel listened for a moment, then heard a faint barking.

"Come" Jin said when he realized Daniel and Charlotte had both heard the dog.

The group raced down the beach, even after the barking had stopped, calling Vincent's name. Daniel stopped as he heard a rustling and watched Vincent emerge from the woods calmly and stand next to him. everyone else was still moving. "Hey, I have Vincent" he shouted after them. Everyone turned and hurried back to where Daniel was standing.

"What happened to you?" Juliet asked Vincent as she knelt next to him. "Where's everyone else?"

"The dog ain't gonna answer" Sawyer chuckled.

"He's a mess" Charlotte observed. She was right. Vincent's fur was streaked with mud and dirt. As if he heard Charlotte's comment, Vincent whined.

"If he's here" Daniel indicated Vincent. "Everyone else might be nearby"

"Or he got separated from everyone when the boat wrecked" Sawyer guessed.

They searched the beach and the surrounding forest for the next two hours, but they didn't find anyone. Discouraged, they all headed towards the van. Vincent was just about to jump in when Phil stopped him. "We're not taking a dog back"

"And why not?" Juliet asked. "And don't say there are no pets in the compound. I saw a cat in one of the yards this morning"

Phil glowered. "Just let them bring the dog" Jerry told him.

"He's filthy" Phil argued. Vincent ran off.

"Vincent" Daniel called after him. The group followed Vincent until he reached a stream. The dog jumped in and immediately began splashing around until all the dirt was off.

Then, Vincent emerged and walked straight up to Phil and shook himself dry. Everyone burst out laughing. "He's clean now" Jerry said once he calmed down.

"It's like he… understood what Phil was saying" Daniel said to Charlotte as they were walking back to the van.

"Who says he can't?" Charlotte told him.

"It's never been proven" Daniel shook his head as he disagreed.

"Dan, things don't have to be proven for people to believe they're true" Charlotte countered. Daniel fell silent for the ride home as he thought about Charlotte's words. When they returned, Daniel pulled out his journal and began to read again. He wanted to read what was written about the Dharma Initiative again.

After dinner, Charlotte pulled him aside. "Dan, look what I found" She held up a deck of cards.

"Where?" Daniel asked.

"In the van" Charlotte smirked. "I found them under one of the floor mats"

"What - -what happened to your other deck?" Daniel tilted his head, unsure if she had told him or not.

"Disappeared with the rest of the camp" Charlotte shrugged and put the cards in her pants pocket. "Want to take a walk?"

"Where to?" Daniel asked.

Charlotte pulled his journal out of his hands and set it down. "No particular place. I'm just not used to being inside a building. It's weird"

Daniel nodded his agreement. "All right"

The sun was setting, and children were running around, playing in their yards. Charlotte just took it all in, and Daniel watched her. At times, she would point out places she remembered. Eventually, they found themselves at the docks. Charlotte took off her shoes and socks and dangled her feet in the water. "Want to play?" Charlotte pulled out the deck of cards again.

"Why not?" Daniel smiled. They played it five times, and every time he got all of the cards right. Daniel couldn't believe his improvement. Since they hadn't done it since the flashes began, he thought he'd be worse, not better. "I guess you're right. There is something…different about this place" he told Charlotte.

Charlotte smiled. "Besides the time travel?"

"Besides the time travel" Daniel agreed. He leaned forward, and gently kissed Charlotte. When they broke apart, they sat quietly, just enjoying the other's presence.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 30

As the two weeks passed, the five quickly fell into a routine. After a few more slip ups, Daniel had resolved to try to think of Sawyer as Jim. Charlotte confided in him that she had to do the same. Daniel thought he noticed that Jim and Juliet were becoming closer, but he shook it off. They had all split into small groups. He was in one with Charlotte, while Jim, Juliet, and Jin spent more time together. Miles had showed signs of improvement, but he hadn't woken up. The group visited him every day, and during their last few visits his fingers had moved a bit. The doctor said it was a sign of progress, but Daniel wasn't sure. They had also gone out to search for their crew as much as possible, but there was no sign of anyone else.

Two days after they had arrived in 1979, Jim voiced his displeasure.

"_This is ridiculous. We know this Island better than Bert and Ernie. If I had to guess, our people are probably at the caves. We can't suggest that, cause we're new here. And those two idiots don't know about them. Not to mention, they're refusing to search that far off the beach" Jim paced around the living room._

"_What are we supposed to do? Our time here's almost up" Charlotte asked from her position next to Daniel._

"_If we can't stay, we'll sneak out in the morning before the sub leaves and go to Alpert" Jim decided._

"_What? We - -we can't. They'll come looking for us" Daniel tried to straighten out what was going on. Charlotte was translating quietly for Jin, who was standing next to her, so he'd be able to follow the conversation._

"_They don't know this Island as well as they think they do. We can hide out in the caves for a few days, then we'll go lookin' for Ricky" Jim said as he paused in front of the window._

"_Disappearing is going to make them think we're Hostiles, James" Juliet told him._

"_Well, one of us is" Jim smiled at her. "Am I right?"_

"_I was cast out, James. I'm not one of them anymore" Juliet shed off his label easily._

"_They don't know that" Jim countered._

"_They will. They marked me" Juliet revealed. _

"_What?" Jim moved from the window to Juliet's chair. "Where?"_

_Juliet stood, turned around, and lifted her shirt enough to reveal the brand on her lower back. Everyone leaned to see it, and Daniel flinched when he caught sight of it. It must've hurt."We can't go to the Hostiles, James. This marks me as an outcast"_

"_When did you get this?" Daniel asked._

"_It was when I helped Jack with letting James and Kate escape. Ben had the three of them captured, and he needed Jack for a surgery. He refused to do it until he knew James and Kate were safe" Juliet sat back down. _

"_So what's the plan now?" Charlotte asked everyone._

"_We try to get them to have us stay, but it's gotta be their idea" Jim decided firmly._

Since then, that's what they had been doing. Juliet volunteered her services in the motor pool, while Charlotte began to run errands for the people in the Arrow. It was a relatively new station, and the Orientation video hadn't been shot yet. Chang did the videos, and it was scheduled to be shot the day before the sub was supposed to leave. From that, Daniel had managed to figure out the day. The video was scheduled to be shot on July 2, Charlotte's birthday. Daniel had volunteered to help with the construction of the Orchid. Jin and Jim were going with Phil and Jerry on their patrols when there were reports of Hostile activity. They were still nearby, and Daniel figured they'd be staying around for a little longer. Since Jim had faced Alpert once, Phil had grudgingly admitted that having him with them on patrols might help them if they ran into a Hostile.

Two days before they were due to leave, the five had begun to lose hope of staying. They had resigned themselves to leaving on the sub. Charlotte, Daniel, and Jin were playing Bullshit. Daniel had to admit that Charlotte had met her match. He was still hopeless, but Jin was close to beating her. Jim and Juliet were in the kitchen arguing about what they should make for dinner. When a knock sounded, no one noticed it until Vincent started barking.

Daniel eventually heard it and went to the door. When he opened it, he saw Horace standing casually in front of him. "Hi Daniel, mind if I come in?" Vincent barked again before disappearing into another room.

"Horace. Umm…no" Daniel stepped aside and let Horace pass. When Jin and Charlotte noticed him Charlotte glanced at Daniel and Jin went to the kitchen.

"Dan, what's going on?" Charlotte asked, still staring at Horace.

Daniel glanced over at the kitchen door. "I don't know" He looked back at Horace. "We didn't forget you were coming, did we?" Charlotte had tested Daniel's memory multiple times since their first night in the compound, and even though it had significantly improved it still wasn't as good as it used to be.

"No, it's nothing like that" Horace smiled slightly. Daniel relaxed a bit and Charlotte stood up.

"Excuse us, Horace" Charlotte said and she grabbed Daniel's arm and led him out of the living room. As soon as they reached the kitchen, the almost ran into the other three.

"You leavin'?" Jim asked.

"We'll just be a minute" Charlotte spoke seriously. They stepped back to let Daniel and Charlotte through and went into the living room. "Why do you think he's here?" Charlotte whispered as soon as the rest left.

"I don't know. Unless it's to…" Daniel glanced around and lowered his voice even more. "give us the chance to stay".

"If he does, do you think I should, considering…?" Charlotte trailed off.

"Right now, this is the best place for any of us to be" Daniel thought out loud. "Off this Island, we either don't exist yet, or are all under the age of ten. Not to mention, we have no - - no identification, and even if we did it wouldn't work. If we leave here, we'll be in bigger trouble than if we stay" Daniel stepped towards Charlotte and put his hands on her shoulders. "Listen, whatever you decide, I'll go with you"

"Really?" Charlotte was surprised.

"We'll manage wherever we are. It's up to you" Daniel smiled. "We should…get back. I'm sure Horace doesn't have a lot of time"

"Not yet" Charlotte said as she smirked. She quickly kissed him. As they broke apart, a genuine smile spread over her face. "Now we can go"

When they returned to the living room, they resumed their places on the couch. Jim was leaning against the wall, while Juliet and Jin were both sitting in chairs. Horace stood in front of everyone. "I have an offer for you. Well, the Dharma Initiative does"

"What kinda offer?" Jim asked suspiciously.

"The fact that you've been helping out since you've gotten here has been appreciated by everyone. We haven't been getting as many recruits as before. We have some back out before every batch of new recruits arrives. So, we're offering you the opportunity to stay. If you do, we'll match your work assignments here with what you did before you came here" Horace said. "So, what do you say?"

"I'll stay" Jim decided.

Daniel glanced at Charlotte. He wasn't going to say anything until she decided. "So will I" Charlotte said quietly.

"Then I'll stay, too" Daniel smiled at Charlotte, who smiled back.

Juliet and Jin remained silent. "What about you?" Horace asked them.

Charlotte shot Jin a quick look. Daniel understood what she was doing. She didn't want Jin to reveal that she spoke Korean. "Daniel" Jin decided on someone to ask. "What?"

"He said we can stay here" Daniel said slowly, hoping Jin would understand.

"Stay here? No leave?" Jin said after a moment of thinking. Daniel nodded. Jin turned to Horace. "Stay"

"He can't speak English?" Horace asked everyone.

"Not well" Charlotte said. "There was a woman in our crew that translated, but…"

"I'll have to find someone to teach him. I think Jeanette Staples speaks Korean" Horace mused.

"Is that…?" Daniel asked quietly. Charlotte nodded. No one else noticed their exchange.

"Juliet? Do you want to stay?" Horace asked Juliet.

Juliet looked over at Jim. "I'll stay" she agreed.

"Great" Horace nodded. "Now, what did you guys do on the ship? I already know LaFleur was the captain" Everyone looked over at Jim, who shrugged almost imperceptibly so Horace wouldn't notice.

"Well" Juliet glanced around. "I worked in the engine room"

"They brought me in to study how the people on the Black Rock lived when they were here" Charlotte said. Daniel hid a smile. It was close enough to why she had come to the Island.

"I worked as a…physicist, but I was used for charting and navigating" Daniel decided on saying. Charlotte glanced over at him and smiled. Again, it was kind of what he had done on the freighter.

Horace absorbed the information. "What did Jin do?"

Jim thought for a few moments. "He helped me and Miles out. When I wasn't around, they were in charge"

Horace nodded. "All right. Daniel, you can probably help with figuring out where to build other stations, or maybe the Orchid once it's finished. Charlotte, you can work at the Arrow. We use it to study the Island's natives. We call them the Hostiles. Jim, you and Jin can work in security. Juliet, you can stay at the motor pool. I'll bring you your uniforms tomorrow, and you can start in two days"

"Thanks for lettin' us stay" Jim said to Horace.

"You guys are hard workers" Horace said. "You fit in pretty well here. Welcome to Dharma"

Once Horace left, Jim looked at Juliet. "Why didn't you say you were a doctor?"

"Because, when I was first brought here I was here as a doctor, all my patients died. I want to get away from that" Juliet explained.

"That - -that makes sense" Daniel said.

"Red, I remember Linus said that your middle name was Staples. It ain't a common name. Any relationship to the Staples Horace mentioned?" Jim studied Charlotte carefully.

"She's my mother" Charlotte sighed. "My dad died here, and she got remarried. The man she married adopted me, and I became Charlotte Lewis"

"Is that how you learned to speak Korean?" Juliet wondered.

"No. Someone else taught me" Charlotte chuckled. "If I'm remembering right, my mother didn't even want me to learn"

"Why not?" Daniel wanted to know.

"Well, I also learned Latin around the same time. That might be what my mum didn't want me to learn" Charlotte smiled.

"That…probably makes more sense" Daniel decided.

"You speak Latin, too?" Juliet was surprised.

"Yeah, why?" Charlotte looked at her quizzically.

"No reason. Not many people speak Latin anymore. I was caught off guard, that's all" Juliet covered quickly. Daniel knew there was something going on, though.

He put two and two together quickly, though. "Char, do you think it's possible that…Jin taught you Korean?"

"I don't know, Dan. It's a possibility, but, it's just weird thinking about" Charlotte looked up at him.

"If Jin was the one that taught you Korean, I think I know who taught you Latin" Juliet spoke up hesitantly.

"Really? Who?" Charlotte looked over.

"Me. All of the Others, Hostiles, whatever you call them, speak Latin" Juliet said. "It makes sense that your mom didn't want you learning it"

Charlotte shook her head. "This time travel stuff can give a person headaches"

"Headache?" Daniel directed his full attention to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Dan. It's nothing like it was with the flashes" Daniel still wasn't reassured, and Charlotte noticed that. "I swear, it's nothing. I just mean that it can be extremely confusing"

"I agree. I…try not to think about the details too much" Daniel told Charlotte. "Makes it easier" He looked around the room. "Where'd everyone go?"

Charlotte looked around as well. "I have no idea. Maybe the kitchen?"

"You…want to look?" Daniel asked.

"Not right now. They'll come get us when they need us" Charlotte settled into Daniel's arms and the two began to fully relax.

After fifteen minutes, a shout brought them back to the present. "Dinner" Juliet called from the kitchen.

Daniel sighed, and he heard Charlotte groan. "I don't want to move" she told him.

"Neither do I, but I'm sure you're hungry" Daniel stroked her hair almost absentmindedly.

"Yeah, and I know you are too" Charlotte looked up at him and smiled.

Juliet looked into the living room. "Are you two coming?"

"Yeah" Daniel said, and the two stood up and joined everyone else into the kitchen.

"Why'd you guys leave?" Charlotte asked when they sat down.

"Give you privacy" Jin said as he was bringing the food to the table.

Daniel and Charlotte glanced at each other and exchanged small smiles. "So, how long have the two of you been together?" Jim asked once everyone had finished eating.

"What?" Charlotte and Daniel said at the same time.

"Look, it's pretty obvious there's something goin' on. You share a room that has only one bed. According to Juliet, at the camp you shared a tent. And she also said you were pretty hell-bent on getting Charlotte away from Locke" Jim walked towards the two of them. "And I'm not even gonna start on how the two of you act around each other"

Charlotte sighed. "And what if there is? It doesn't affect you"

"I was just asking" Jim said like it was no big deal.

"It's none of your business" Charlotte stood up. "Come on, Dan"

Daniel stood up, and the two walked to the dock. On the way, a man stopped them and he felt Charlotte tense next to him. "Hi, you two are new here, aren't you?"

"Umm…yeah, I'm Daniel Faraday, and this is Charlotte Lewis" Daniel introduced them.

"I'm James Staples" he shook Daniel's hand. "Welcome to the Island. I heard you guys were staying here as new members"

"Yeah, Horace offered, and it seemed like a - -a good opportunity" Daniel glanced over at Charlotte, wondering why she wasn't saying anything to him. She seemed frozen in shock.

"Your name's Charlotte?" James asked. Charlotte nodded. "My wife's pregnant. We don't know what the baby is, but if it's a girl we're going to name it Charlotte" he glanced at his watch. "I've got to get home. My wife's waiting. It was nice meeting you"

"You too" Daniel said distractedly. Charlotte still hadn't said anything.

When James left, Daniel and Charlotte continued walking. "Char, what's wrong? You - -you didn't say anything"

"He's been dead for the majority of my life" Charlotte shook her head. "It was just a shock. I'm fine now"

"Being in 1979 is strange for all of us. It just is probably…stranger for you, considering you'll be in the same place as your younger self" Daniel told her.

"I'm glad you're with me" Charlotte admitted.

"I'm glad you're with me, too" Daniel hugged her. "It - -it wouldn't be the same"


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 31

True to his word, Horace showed up the very next day with their uniforms. When Daniel woke up on July 2, he saw Charlotte standing at the window.

She must've heard him move, because she turned around quickly. "You're up"

"Happy Birthday, Charlotte" Daniel sat up and smiled at her. Charlotte sat down next to him. "How long have you been up?"

"I'm not sure. Dan, how long are we staying here for?" Charlotte looked up at him.

"Until I figure out a way to - -to get us back to our time" Daniel told her. "Horace pulled me aside before he left yesterday. He told me that once the Orchid is built, I'm going to work there. It's going to be used to - - to study time travel, actually" Daniel laughed quietly. "It's going to be disguised as a…as some kind of greenhouse, a research station"

"So you're going to be studying time travel at the Orchid, but you're going to pretend to be a biologist and study plants?" Charlotte shook her head. "Dan, you…"

"I can't lie. I know. Horace said I could tell you, Jim, Jin, and Juliet. If…when Miles wakes up, I can tell him, too" Daniel said. "Since you all know I'm a physicist, he decided it'd be better for me to tell you now rather than before you start asking questions"

Charlotte smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Let's get ready for work"

Daniel was helping with the Orchid construction for the time being. Horace had told him that the other people recruited to work with him weren't going to arrive until after construction was completed. He had no experience with construction work and tools, so he mainly was running errands for the workers, the same thing he was doing before.

On one of his trips, he ran into Chang. "Watch yourself"

Daniel kept his head down. He wanted to keep a low profile, because he was worried about being asked things he wouldn't be able to answer. "Sorry sir, it won't happen again" he apologized before continuing to the drilling site. When he arrived there, he noticed a man being taken away on a stretcher. He was either dead or unconscious, Daniel wasn't sure. He did know, without a doubt, that the energy that made time travel possible had been reached. The man had blood all over his face. Daniel watched the man until he was carried out of sight. Then, he stared at the rock wall.

"Did you hear that?" Daniel looked at the man who addressed him, the foreman. "Time travel. How stupid does that guy think we are?"

Daniel nodded uncomfortably. He resolved that later that night, he'd return to the Orchid to try to figure out a way to get him and everyone else back to his time. He gave the tank he was carrying to the construction workers and returned to the surface. When he stepped off the elevator, he found himself face to face with Charlotte."Char, what are you doing here?"

"It's Miles. Come on" Charlotte grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the station.

"What's going on? Is something wrong?" Daniel asked as they ran to a Dharma van. "And how'd you get this?" he said when Charlotte climbed into the driver's seat.

"Jim let me borrow it" Charlotte said as she started the vehicle. Daniel quickly climbed in and she sped off. "I don't know what's going on. Jim came over to the Arrow, tossed me the keys, and told me to get you. All he said was that it was about Miles. He wouldn't say what"

Daniel didn't know how Charlotte normally drove, but if it was anything like the way they drove to the medical station it was a miracle she was still alive. The drive was filled with a tense silence, and when they arrived at the station they jumped out of the van and raced inside.

The doctor stopped them before they entered the main part of the station. "I assume you're here about your friend"

"How is he?" Charlotte asked.

"See for yourself" the doctor said and stepped out of their way.

The distraction calmed them down a bit, but when they saw Miles they stopped dead in their tracks. Miles was sitting up and talking to Jin, Juliet, and Jim. "Took you two long enough. Where were you, in the middle of the ocean?" Miles asked when he saw them.

Daniel sighed, and Charlotte leaned against him. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and the two began to laugh from a mixture of nervousness and relief. "Jim, why didn't you tell me he was awake?" Charlotte asked.

"I didn't know. Jinbo here told me" Jim said. "I told you all I knew"

"How'd you get back here?" Charlotte asked.

"Horace showed up a little after you took off. He drove me back here" Jim pulled over two more chairs. "Sit down"

"I've missed out on a lot, haven't I? These two have been filling me in" Miles cracked a smile. "Who would've thought we'd end up in the 70s?"

"Miles" Daniel and Charlotte said at the same time.

"What?" Miles looked confused at everyone's panicked looks. "We're going to be out of here as soon as there's another flash, right?"

"Keep it down" Daniel told Miles. "How much did you tell him?" he then asked Jim.

"Just that it was 1979 and we were in Dharma's compound" Jim said. "You guys ran in before I could tell him anything else"

Charlotte and Daniel exchanged looks. "Are they listening to us?" Charlotte asked.

"No" Jim told him. "There are cameras in every station, but they don't record sound. And we don't need to worry about the doctor. An accident happened in one of the stations. Horace told me. The guy's got his hands full right now"

"Okay, Miles" Daniel began. "We've been here for two weeks. We told them that we were on a - -a ship looking for the Black Rock, and we got caught in a storm and ended up here"

Charlotte jumped in. "We started helping out here while we were looking for everyone else. We told them they were the rest of our crew. The flashes haven't happened since we've been here. We're stuck here until we can figure out how to get back. So far, all we've found is Vincent"

"The dog?" Miles shook his head. "Before you answer, I have a few questions that are more important. One: What's the Black Rock? Two: How did we manage to not be sent away at their earliest convenience? Three: How did they believe that weak story? And four: What the hell happened to me? I know I didn't hit my head like Doc said I did" Miles fired off his questions.

"The Black Rock's a ship. It landed here with a ton of dynamite on it. One of our guys got blown up just by holdin' it" Jim answered Miles' first question.

"As for how we were able to stay, that was James's doing. When we first ended up here, two Hostiles snuck up on us. James stopped them, and ended up killing them. Alpert found their bodies later on, and came into the compound because of it. James went out and talked to him. We started helping out after that night, but I think what James did convinced them to let us stay" Juliet said quietly. "As for how they believed us, we just got lucky"

"What happened to me?" Miles asked a second time after digesting what he had been told.

"It was the time travel" Daniel glanced around the room. "You know that there are…side-effects. That's what you were experiencing. When we got to the Orchid, there was another flash. You collapsed…passed out, and you weren't waking up. I think your mind was traveling while you were unconscious. Locke managed to fix whatever had caused the flashes to start. That made the side-effects disappear in the rest of us, but you were further along than we were, which is probably why it didn't stop immediately with you"

"So you're telling me…"Miles looked at Daniel in disbelief.

"Sorry to interrupt" the doctor hurried into the room. "A woman just went into labor. She's in the room right off of this one"

"Excuse me, Doctor?" Daniel stopped him. "I was in the Orchid when the worker collapsed. Is he okay?"

"He didn't make it" the doctor answered. They watched him hurry around. "Again, sorry for the interruption" the doctor left just as fast as he entered.

"Well, this is awkward" Charlotte muttered to Daniel.

"What'd you say?" Miles noticed that Charlotte had spoken.

"I said that this is awkward" Charlotte said normally. "It isn't every day you're told that you're mother's gone into labor and is about to give birth to you" She glanced up at the clock. "I've got to get back to work soon"

"So do I. I just took off" Daniel just realized that he had run off without telling anyone.

"Horace said he'd tell people" Jim told the two of them.

"Still, it's our first day" Charlotte argued. "I'm going back. Dan, do you want me to give you a ride?"

"That's in the opposite direction of the Arrow" Juliet pointed out.

"I know, but I'm the one that dragged Dan away" Charlotte turned to Daniel. "What do you say?"

"I'm glad you're awake, Miles" Daniel said as he stood up.

Before Daniel and Charlotte could go anywhere, Horace strolled into the room. "Where are you two going?" Horace asked them.

"We were going to go back to work. We…ran off without letting anyone know" Daniel told Horace.

"I talked to your superiors and explained the situation. That's for all of you" Horace looked over the rest of the group. "All of them told me to tell you to just come back tomorrow, and that you should spend time with your crewmember today. And Jin, I spoke to Jeanette Staples earlier today before she went into labor. She said she can start to teach you how to speak English as soon as she's recovered from giving birth and has her energy back. She'll come and let you know when she's ready to start"

"Excuse me?" Jin asked slowly.

"Jin, you're going to be taught English soon" Juliet simplified Horace's words.

"Work?" Jin looked at Jim.

"We got the rest of the day off" Jim told him cheerfully.

"Horace" the doctor called as he walked into the room. "Can you keep Jeanette company? I called James, and he should be here soon. I need to examine Miles. With how often people get injured during construction work, I need as much room as I can" he explained vaguely.

"It was nice talking to you all" Horace addressed everyone and walked over to the small room Jeanette was in.

"Could you all wait outside?" the doctor asked. The group quickly exited.

"What the doctor said, does that mean that he's going to discharge Miles today?" Daniel asked.

"This ain't a hospital, Danny Boy. Haven't you noticed?" Jim sat on the ground.

"If he does, where are we going to put him? We don't have enough space where we are as it is" Charlotte glanced around at everyone else.

"We'll just have to rearrange the sleeping arrangements" Jim decided. "You two won't be moved" he nodded to Charlotte and Daniel. "I could always sleep in the living room with Juliet. I'm sure the floor's more comfortable than sand"

The doctor soon let them back into the room. Miles was sitting on the edge of his bed, wearing new clothes. "I'm going to let Miles leave, but I want him to come in every morning. He won't do any work until I say so. Understood?" Everyone nodded. "Okay. Miles, I'll see you tomorrow. And if you have any problems, come find me immediately" The group heard Jeanette scream in the next room, and the doctor hurried towards her.

Once they walked inside the house, everyone immediately sat in what had become their normal seats. Daniel and Charlotte sat on the couch, while Jin and Juliet sat on the two chairs. Sawyer sat on the ground next to Juliet's chair, and Miles stood hesitantly in the doorway before he sat down on the couch with Daniel and Charlotte.

"Charlotte, what did you mean by saying that your mother was in labor with you?" Miles asked as soon as he sat down.

"I forgot. You don't know" Charlotte shook her head slightly. "I was born here. Well, actually I'm being born now. I lived her until I was four"

"How'd you guys get me from the station to here?" Miles wanted to know.

"We carried you, Jin and I" Jim smirked. "You're not as light as you look, Tubby. Don't worry about it, though. You weren't the only one that was unconscious. Red here was out until we sent for the doctor. I think she was just faking cause she was sick of walkin', though"

Daniel reached out and grabbed Charlotte's arm. Once he felt she was calm enough, he unconsciously began to stroke her hair as he leaned in and whispered "You can get him later". He looked over at Miles, and saw him watching them curiously.

"Who carried me? I didn't even think of asking before" Charlotte looked at Daniel.

"You're right. It was Danny Boy. Didn't complain once" Jim told her. Charlotte smiled and mouthed 'Thanks' to Daniel.

"So where's everything at around here?" Miles began to look around as he became more comfortable.

"The kitchen's through there. We've got a bathroom down here, and another upstairs. There's a washer and dryer in the basement" Daniel told Miles. "And there are two bedrooms upstairs"

"Where's everyone sleep?" Miles glanced at everyone.

"You're sitting on my bed" Juliet smiled. "Charlotte and Daniel share a room, while James and Jin share another"

"You can take my bed, though. I'll sleep on the floor in here. Horace is gonna have to figure out what the hell he's going to do. This house ain't fitting us all comfortably" Jim stretched out on the floor. "I was right. Much comfier than sand"

"We're going to have to get you clothes, too" Juliet added.

Late that night, Daniel slowly slipped from the bed hoping to not wake up Charlotte. He quickly got his stuff together and cautiously opened the door when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

When he turned, he saw Charlotte staring at him. "Where are you going?"

"I - -I was going for a - -a walk" Daniel stuttered.

"Try again, Dan. This time, tell the truth" Charlotte looked him in the eye.

Daniel knew lying to her was useless. "I was going to go to the Orchid. They hit the energy drilling today. I want to blast the rock so I can get to the chamber. Maybe we'll find a way to get back"

"Give me five minutes. I'm going with you" Charlotte turned and grabbed clothes at random.

"What? No. Char, it's too dangerous" Daniel felt fear rising.

"Either we both go, or neither of us" Charlotte was determined. "I can take care of myself"

"Charlotte, no. You could get seriously hurt. I won't let that happen. I can't" Daniel pleaded.

"And you think I want you to get hurt?" Charlotte hissed. "Daniel, you're not going without me"

Daniel looked in her eyes. Finally, he relented. He kissed her gently, and when they broke apart he said "All right, but hurry up"

Charlotte hurried to the bathroom, and less than two minutes later emerged. "I'm ready" When they reached the edge of the compound, they began to move cautiously and quietly so they wouldn't attract the attention of the Hostiles. They didn't speak until they reached the Orchid. "It looks finished" Charlotte observed.

"It isn't" Daniel turned to look at her. "Stay here"

"There is no way in hell I'm staying out here, Dan" Charlotte told him.

Daniel realized she wasn't going to back down, and they entered the Orchid together. When Daniel approached the area where the worker died, he set down his bag cautiously and pulled out the dynamite.

"Where did you get that?" Charlotte asked in shock.

"From the Black Rock. I woke up really early yesterday and had Jim take me to the ship" Daniel handled the dynamite gently but moved fast. He made a makeshift fuse that traveled the length of the path leading to the elevator.

"So what's the plan?" Charlotte asked as he was setting up.

"I'm going to light this from the elevator, and as soon as I do we're going to go back to the surface and…run like hell and pray the blast won't reach us" Daniel looked up at her. "See why I didn't want you to come?" He shook his head. "On second thought, you get out of here now. As soon as I light it, I'll be right behind you"

"Dan…" Charlotte looked at Daniel.

"Don't try to fight me on this, Char. Please. Go up now" He picked up his bag. "And…take this with you. I don't want to drop this and have it burn up. And once you get up there, send the elevator back down"

"Why are you acting like something terrible's going to happen?" Charlotte asked him.

"This energy is unpredictable. It's what makes time travel possible. I - -I have no idea how it's going to react with the…dynamite" Daniel admitted.

Charlotte nodded resignedly. She took his bag and turned to the elevator. She took two steps before she turned around and hugged him tightly. "Be careful, Dan. I love you"

He held her close and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too"

Once the elevator came back empty, he waited two more minutes before lighting the fuse. When he did, it didn't light. He moved closer to the rock, and set up a makeshift shelter that hopefully would protect him from the worst of the blast. He took a deep breath and lit the fuse once more. As soon as he realized it did, he dove into his shelter and put his hands over his ears. As soon as he knew it was safe, he knew he needed to get to the surface.

As soon as he exited the Orchid he heard Charlotte sobbing. He followed her cries and found her sitting at the well. "Charlotte" he said softly. He didn't want to startle her. There was no response, so he put his hand gently on her shoulder. She jumped and turned so fast it was if someone had burnt her.

"Daniel?" she said in disbelief.

"I'm okay. I'm right here" he said gently.

She flung herself into his arms. "I thought you were dead. I felt the blast. Flames came up the elevator"

"It's okay. Everything's fine. I promise" Daniel whispered. He held her until she calmed down. Once she pulled away and began wiping her eyes, Daniel picked up his bag. "Charlotte, we've got to get out of here. People are going to show up…really soon"

"Okay, Dan" Charlotte glanced up at him. Even in the moonlight, he could see her tear-stained face and bloodshot eyes.

They walked back to the compound avoiding paths. They could hear vans traveling to the station, which caused them to move faster. When they reached their house, they snuck in the back door. When they were quietly moving through the living room, he noticed that Jim was gone, which meant Jin probably was too.

When they reached their room, Charlotte grabbed her pajamas and went to the bathroom to change. Daniel put his things back where they should be while he waited for her to return. Once she came back, the two didn't speak until they were settled into bed.

Daniel held Charlotte close to him. He knew she needed that comfort, even though she'd never admit it. "What happened down there, Dan?" Charlotte whispered.

"The energy reacted…badly with the dynamite. I - -I think the explosion released electromagnetism. If that's what happened, then…I caused the Incident, Charlotte" Daniel stroked her hair.

"I'm just glad you're all right. That you're alive" Charlotte said quietly. She moved her head from its position of its chest and kissed him. When they broke apart, she took a shaky breath. "I thought you were dead, Dan. I was terrified"

"I'm not going to leave you, Charlotte. I told you once that you weren't alone anymore. I'm not going to contradict myself" Daniel told her.

They didn't say anything else the rest of the night. Instead of talking, they took comfort in the others presence until they both fell asleep.


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 32

Daniel and Charlotte were awoken by a pounding on their door only a few hours after they had fallen asleep. Charlotte moved to answer it, but Daniel stopped here. "I'll get it. Stay here" When he opened the door he saw Jim. He looked exhausted and stressed. "What's wrong?" Daniel became panicked. Did they know he was responsible?

"Someone attacked the Orchid last night. It's half destroyed" Jim said grimly.

Daniel glanced back and Charlotte and watched as she got out of bed. "Any ideas who did it?"

"Everyone's saying it's the Hostiles, but we're not sure. Security's goin' to tell everyone that no one's going to work today. We don't want to risk anyone else gettin' hurt" Jim sighed. "There's something else, Danny" Daniel felt Charlotte grab his hand to keep him relaxed. "A large amount of electromagnetism and radiation was released. Three guys are already dead. The same thing that was happenin' to us happened to them, but a hell of a lot faster"

"This - -this is the Incident, isn't it?" Daniel asked Jim.

"I think so. Horace is already putting together a team to try to figure out a way to stop it" Jim looked Daniel in the eye. "I think he's gonna ask you. He was asking me if you've ever studied that stuff. I said you did"

"You're right. I focused on it extensively" Daniel told him.

"Just, get ready. Horace is probably going to show up soon" Jim muttered and walked away.

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief once Jim was out of sight. "Thank God" Charlotte whispered next to him.

Daniel shut the door and sat back down on the bed. "Char, what am I supposed to do? No one was supposed to die. I just…wanted to find a way for us to get back. They're going to know that I did this"

"Dan, look at me" Charlotte said. He remembered the last time she spoke those words and realized she wasn't going to let him continue on that train of thought. Once he looked, she continued. "You're not responsible for this. Yes, you wanted to figure out how to get back. We all do. You did what you felt was necessary to study what made time travel possible. You are not responsible for that explosion, or those deaths. It was an accident"

"Charlotte, I don't want you to go anywhere near the Orchid until this is taken care of" Daniel told her. "Promise me"

"Dan, I can't" Charlotte shook her head. "If you want to go back there to study the…whatever it is, I'm not going to let you go alone. You know that"

"Charlotte…" he groaned.

"No, Daniel. You're not going there alone" Charlotte argued.

"But I can't let you. I - -I almost lost you once. I can't risk that again" Daniel turned away from her.

Charlotte sat down next to him and grabbed his hand. "Dan, I told you this last night. I don't want to lose you, either. How about a compromise? I won't go over there unless you're with me"

Daniel looked back at Charlotte. "I don't like it, but okay" He knew that's the best he could get.

Another knock distracted Daniel. When he answered it, Juliet was standing there. "Daniel, Horace is here. He wants to talk to you"

"Great" Daniel muttered. "Give me…ten minutes and I'll be down" he said louder.

He hurried up and got ready and raced downstairs. Horace was sitting on the couch, waiting patiently. When Daniel entered the room he stood up. "Daniel"

"Horace" Daniel greeted him cautiously. "Jim told me something happened at the Orchid. Is everything okay?" he hoped Horace wouldn't see through him.

"The Hostiles attacked the station" Horace said. "Electromagnetism and radiation was released, and we need to figure out a way to contain it. I'm putting together a group of people, and I'm giving you the opportunity to help"

Daniel thought about it for a minute. "I'll do it"

Horace nodded. "There's one more thing. Is Charlotte here? I want the Arrow staff to help out with something"

"I'll…go get her" Daniel stood and quickly went back to his room. He opened the door to see Charlotte pulling her hair back. "Char, Horace wants to talk to you"

"About what?" she asked as she turned towards him

"He didn't say. He asked me if I wanted to figure out a way to take care of what was released. I agreed. Maybe that can make up for the people that died" Daniel said softly.

"Time to talk to Horace" Charlotte walked to the door and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll tell you what he wanted"

Daniel and Charlotte walked downstairs together and while Charlotte stayed in the living room Daniel went to the kitchen, where Juliet and Miles were sitting.

"What'd Horace want?" Juliet asked.

"I'll explain once he leaves" Daniel rummaged around in the cabinets before deciding on just having cereal. "He's talking to Charlotte now"

"Was it this insane when we first got here?" Miles asked as he leaned his chair back.

"No, but we've passed normal a long time ago" Juliet took a sip of her coffee.

They sat in silence, attempting to hear what was being said between Charlotte and Horace. When Charlotte walked into the room, Miles immediately started talking to Juliet.

"I'm not stupid" Charlotte said as she made herself toast. "I know you guys were trying to hear what was going on"

"Your boyfriend here wouldn't tell us what that guy wanted. He said we had to wait for you" Miles rolled his eyes towards Juliet, who glared at him.

"Good" Charlotte sat down next to Daniel. "And Dan, Horace told me that they're going to change the function of the Arrow, at least slightly"

"What do you mean?" Daniel was becoming confused.

"We're still going to study the Hostiles, but we're going to report our findings to another group of people that'll be working there. That group is going to develop defense strategies, so we won't be caught off guard" Charlotte explained. "Where's the coffee?" Daniel pointed to the coffee pot sitting on the counter.

"You mean if the Hostiles attack again?" Miles stifled a yawn.

Charlotte looked Miles straight in the eye. "Yeah"

"What'd he want with you?" Miles looked at Daniel.

"How much do you know about what happened last night?" Daniel looked straight at Charlotte and Miles.

"Nothing" Miles was impatient.

"James told me a little" Juliet offered. "He said there was an explosion at the Orchid"

"There was. And you guys know the Orchid was used for studying time travel?" At their nods, Daniel continued. "Well, when this happened, large amounts of…electromagnetism and radiation were released. People have already been killed because of it, so it needs to be contained. That's what Horace was talking to me about. He asked me to work with a team to develop a solution. I agreed"

"Why?" Miles asked. "You can't figure out anything else. What makes you think you can figure out a way to fix this?"

"Miles, Dan has explained and contributed more than you have, so I'd watch what you say" Charlotte stared him down. "Need I remind you of the door incident back on the freighter?"

Miles winced. "You've made your point. Shutting up"

Daniel smiled gratefully at Charlotte. "Any idea when Jim and Jin are going to be back?" Charlotte asked Juliet.

"No idea. Security's talking to everyone, and besides Jin and Jim there's Jerry, Phil, and Rob. Not many people work in security" Juliet spoke absentmindedly as she glanced outside.

"Bet they're regretting that now" Miles smirked.

The rest of the day was spent inside their home, but the next day everyone resumed their jobs. Daniel met with his group in a room off the cafeteria, and when he walked in he saw James Staples standing with three other men.

"Daniel" James greeted him as he entered the room. "It's good to see you again. This is Paul, John, Adam, and Radzinsky" The four men indicated who they were, but fell back into their conversation. "I just want to let you know that things aren't normally like this here. The Hostiles approach the compound at times, but they haven't directly attacked us in years. This Island, it's actually safe here"

"It's…good to see you, too" Daniel was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"Cut the small talk. Let's get to work" one man muttered.

"Paul. Enough" James said.

Once they got to work, they made remarkable progress. They had decided to convert a Dharma station to do the containing, because building another station would take too long. The best choice would be the Swan, as it was being used to study how electromagnetism functioned on the Island. Once that decision had been made, the group decided to go home and start fresh developing the equations and how it would work the next day.

Within two months, the Swan was successfully converted. During that time period, other people had died because of the electromagnetism and radiation. Paul and John were two of them. The two had volunteered to go to the Orchid to measure the levels of electromagnetism and radiation, but they had spent too much time there and eventually developed radiation poisoning. Once their project was completed, the group disbanded. Daniel went to work back at the Orchid once construction was completed, along with James. Radzinsky returned to the Arrow, while Adam went to work at the Hydra. Daniel was happy to not have any more contact with Radzinsky. He treated Daniel in the same way he was treated on the freighter.

During those two months, the group had also been moved into their own houses. Jim had apparently told Horace that he was married to Juliet, so they got their own place. Charlotte and Daniel stayed in the house they were initially given, while Jin and Miles were given their own houses. Jin's English had made rapid progress during that time, and Miles began working in security once the doctor gave him a clean bill of health. Things remained calm for the next three years.

**Three Years Later**

Daniel and Charlotte were standing near the processing center, waiting to welcome the new recruits. The little Charlotte had left the Island the week before with her necklace. Charlotte was alive now, but he wasn't going to risk her dying because she didn't get the necklace.

Juliet joined Daniel and Charlotte and quickly got their attention. "Look, I need to tell the two of you something important"

"What is it?" Daniel asked distractedly. He slipped an arm around Charlotte's shoulder and she leaned into him.

"It's about the recruits" Juliet whispered. She began to continue, but the vans pulled up and halted their conversations.

"Juliet, we'll talk later" Charlotte glanced over at her. "Okay?"

"Char, this might be important" Daniel said quietly. "Does this have anything to do with…?" Daniel trailed off, unsure what to say.

"It's the people that left" Juliet glanced around making sure no one was listening in. "They're…"

"LaFleur" a shout caught Juliet's attention.

"Yeah?" She shouted back. A man from the motor pool approached her. "One of the vans is having trouble. Can you come take a look at it?"

"Sure" Juliet shot Daniel and Charlotte an apologetic glance before leaving.

"What do you think that was about?" Charlotte asked."Do you think it has anything to do with why Jim and Jin aren't here?"

"I guess we'll know soon. She said it was about the - -the recruits" Daniel gestured over to the recruits in the processing center. As Daniel met with the new recruits, he kept an eye on the path trying to see if any other vans pulled up. "Char…" Daniel trailed off and nodded to a van that was driving up the path.

Charlotte kept her eyes on the van. "Let's get closer, without being obvious" Daniel nodded his agreement, and the two moved closer to the van. When they saw Jim get out, followed by Jin, they knew this going to change things, mainly because of the serious looks on their faces.

When the back door opened, Charlotte let out a shocked gasp. "Bloody hell. Dan, it's…"

He was in shock, too. Kate, Hurley, and Jack were back on the Island, in 1982. "How did this happen? I need to talk to them. Maybe - -maybe this could get us back without sending the Island flying through time again"

"Dan" Charlotte hissed. "Not now" She glanced back over at the van. "What is Miles doing?"

Before Daniel could say anything, Jim hurried over to him. "Hey, I need you guys to do me a favor. There's a problem at the Flame"

"What did Radzinsky did this time?" Charlotte groaned.

"Charlotte…" Daniel sighed.

"What?" she looked at him. "I can't stand him, especially after how he's treated you"

"Hey, can you stop talking about him and listen to me?" Sawyer said angrily. "There's a Hostile at the Flame. I need you two to keep an eye on those three for me, just don't make it obvious. I already explained what they need to do"

They walked around making brief conversations with the new recruits, and a conversation with James. He was having a difficult time now that his family was off the Island. They were eating when Juliet approached them with the returnees following her. "Hey Daniel, Charlotte"

"Hi, Juliet" Charlotte said calmly. He was glad, because he wasn't sure if he would be able to keep from exposing all of them.

"I want to introduce you to some of the new recruits. Kate Austen, Hugo Reyes, and Jack Shepherd. Everyone, this is Daniel and Charlotte Faraday" Juliet introduced them. Daniel found this mildly amusing. They had met three years ago, or twenty-seven years in the future, depending on how he looked at it. "Charlotte works in the Arrow, and Daniel works in the Orchid" Juliet elaborated.

"What are you guys going to do while you're here?" Charlotte asked politely.

"I'm going to be working in the motor pool" Kate spoke. She appeared as surprised he was about what was happening.

"With Juliet" Daniel told her.

"I'm the chef. Oh, and call me Hurley" Hurley smiled happily.

"I hope you're better than the last chef we had. I started bringing my lunch from home, the food was so bad. People only eat in the cafeteria when they're working. It takes less time than going home for meals" Charlotte told him.

"I think I'm pretty good at cooking" Hurley mused.

"What about you, Jack?" Daniel asked.

"I'm a workman" He said quietly.

Daniel tried to suppress a smile, but he wasn't successful. Charlotte didn't fare much better. "Workmen…they have a good chance at moving to a different job if they show enough incentive" Charlotte attempted to reassure him, but her amused smile took the sincerity out of her words.

"How'd you guys get here?" Jack asked.

"We were on a ship with Jim, Jin, Juliet, and Miles. Jim and Jin were the men that drove you here. We were on an expedition looking for a shipwreck. The Black Rock. We hit a storm and our boat went under. We washed up on shore, and somehow found our way here. We've been here ever since" Charlotte told Jack.

"I'm going to show them where they'll be living" Juliet told them. "I'll see you guys later"

"All right. It was nice to meet you" Charlotte smiled genuinely.

"It was" Daniel echoed her sentiments.

"Same here" Jack nodded, while Kate and Hurley smiled.

Once the four left, Daniel looked at Charlotte. "Can we go home?"

"Dan, I know you want to talk about what happened, but it'll look suspicious if we leave early. We haven't left a welcome party this early ever" Charlotte reasoned with Daniel.

"I know. This is just a brand new development. I might be able to figure out a way to get back" Daniel repeated what he told her earlier almost word for word.

"I know. We'll figure out a way to talk to them alone. We have time" Charlotte looked him in the eye.

"You're right. Let's go sit down" Daniel gestured to a table and chairs nearby. They sat watching everyone a talking quietly to each other. Miles sat down at their table when the sun was beginning to set.

"Did you know what was going on?" Miles demanded as soon as he sat down. "Because they left me out of the loop"

"We didn't know, either. Juliet was going to tell us, but the vans showed up before she could" Charlotte attempted to interrupt him before he could go into a rant.

"Okay, she didn't tell you but I work with Jim and Jin. Jin found them. He called Jim, but no one called me. No one even considered telling me" Miles whispered forcefully.

"Miles, shut up" Daniel told him. "Can you imagine the pressure they were under? They were working on a time table. Informing all of us wasn't on their list of priorities. Char, let's go home"

"That's a good idea" Charlotte agreed. The two stood up and left Miles alone at the table.


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 33

Daniel stood in the kitchen, wondering what they should have for dinner that night. He got off early, so he wanted to surprise Charlotte. Unfortunately, he hadn't had much luck. He had never been much of a cook, so he had been surveying their food for the last forty-five minutes. "Dan" Daniel heard Charlotte calling for him. "Dan, where are you?"

He left the kitchen and walked up to her in the living room. She was facing the other way, so he wrapped his arms around her waist. She turned in his embrace and smiled up at him. "Hey" he said quietly and leaned down and kissed her.

Once they broke apart, Charlotte said "I hope you didn't start dinner. Juliet invited us over her house to eat"

Daniel smiled. "Then I guess it's a good thing I couldn't figure out what to make. What time does she want us?"

"She caught me on my way back. She said to come over whenever we were ready, so I guess once I change we can go" Charlotte kissed Daniel on the cheek and went up to their room, calling behind her "Give me five minutes"

True to her word, Charlotte emerged five minutes later and they headed to Jim and Juliet's house. "Any idea why she invited us?" Daniel asked quietly. "I thought Jim would have his hands full, considering there was a Hostile at the Flame yesterday"

"I guess we'll find out soon enough" Charlotte said as they walked to the LaFleur's front door. Charlotte knocked, and the door opened to reveal a semi- frazzled looking Juliet.

"Charlotte, Daniel, thank God" she sounded relieved. "Come on in"

"Are you all right?" Daniel asked once she shut the door.

"The Hostile from yesterday" Juliet spoke as she hurried into the kitchen. "It wasn't a Hostile. It was Sayid"

"What?!" Daniel and Charlotte said simultaneously.

"My thoughts exactly. And besides you two, I invited Jin, Miles, Hurley, Jack, and Kate" Juliet turned back to them. "That's why I told you and Charlotte you could come over whenever. I need the help, if you don't mind"

"Not at all" Charlotte said quickly.

"What's wrong with Jack, Kate, and Hurley coming?" Daniel whispered to Charlotte.

"Juliet and Jack had something going on before they left, same with Kate and Jim" Charlotte whispered back. "This has the potential to be an extremely awkward night"

"How - -how do you know this?" Daniel stared at Charlotte in amazement.

"Juliet told me. And I noticed it a bit myself" Charlotte answered. "Let's go help"

With Daniel and Charlotte's presence, along with Jim's, Juliet seemed to relax significantly. "When are Jin and Miles coming?" Daniel asked once the dinner was finished and the table was set.

"Anytime now" Jim looked at his watch. "They got off later than me" A knock at the door rang through the room as soon as Jim answered. "It's open" he called to whoever was outside.

"Lazy" Charlotte muttered as Jin and Miles entered the house.

"I heard that, Red. Remember, I can always put you in jail for a night or two" Jim said seriously, but his smirk gave him away.

"Juliet said the Hostile you found was Sayid" Daniel said, which made the security officers tense. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm tryin' to get him to say he wants to give us some information on the Hostiles in return for a place here, but he's bein' difficult" Jim shook his head. "Iraqi always was stubborn"

"What if he refuses?" Charlotte leaned forward slightly. "Is he going to be taken to Oldham?"

"I ain't gonna let that happen. He could blow our cover" Jim appeared dead serious.

"Actually, Jim, no one would believe him. They'd probably just think he's insane" Daniel realized. "Not many people here believe time travel is possible. James is even skeptical about it, and he's in the Orchid with me"

"If they think he's insane, that's more of a reason to kill him" Miles pointed out. "Can I have a beer, LaFleur?"

"In the kitchen" Jim gestured wildly. "Help yourself"

"Get me one, too" Juliet called after him.

"What are we going to do if everyone does want him dead?" Jin looked at everyone for an answer, but Daniel was clueless.

"What if he escapes?" Charlotte said slowly.

Daniel quickly began to follow her train of thought. "Jim, you could go in his cell to talk to him, and he could knock you out…or something, and steal your keys"

"Exactly" Charlotte smiled slightly. "That way, our cover isn't blown and Sayid will still be alive"

"What about Sayid?" a voice came from the doorway. Daniel looked over to see Hurley, Kate, and Jack standing with Miles. "I mean, I saw you taking him away and all, but why are you worried about keeping him alive?" Hurley asked.

Charlotte moved closer to Daniel on the couch to make room for another person, and Daniel instinctively put his arm around her.

"We'll talk about this after dinner" Juliet decided. "We need to talk to you about something else right now"

The group made small talk as everyone ate, but once they finished an awkward silence filled the air. "Do - -do you have any idea how you got back here? I mean from…" he trailed off and looked at the newcomers expectantly.

"2007" Jack said quickly.

"2007, then. How'd you end up in 1982?" Daniel asked.

"We have no idea" Kate spoke up. "We were on a plane, and turbulence hit. Somehow, we all ended up here. There was no wreckage anywhere near us, so we don't know what happened"

"What airline?" Daniel sat up straight when she said the word plane.

"Ajira. We were on Ajira 316" Kate looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"

"We think we know what happened to the plane" Juliet said seriously.

"How? You guys have been here this whole time, right?" Hurley asked.

"Dan, you should take this"

Charlotte whispered. Daniel nodded, and put down his silverware. "Not exactly. When you were on the helicopter, what did you see happen?"

"Your boat blew up" Jack said darkly. "We went up in the helicopter. Me, Kate, Aaron, Sun, Hurley, Sayid, Desmond, and Frank. We were going to go back to the Island, but there was this flash and then it was gone"

Daniel took in this new information. "So the Island moved through space as well" he mused. "That's…intriguing"

"Can you just tell us why the hell we're in 1982?" Jack exploded.

"Shut the bloody hell up and let him talk" Charlotte shouted back.

"Char, Jack, calm down. I'm getting there" Daniel said forcefully enough to shock Kate, Jack, and Hurley. Then he realized that they hadn't seen that side of him before. He thought for a moment, and remembered the way he had explained it to everyone three years ago. "Okay, think of the Island as a…record playing. When the flash happened, the record…it started skipping. And we started skipping through time" Daniel paused to look at everyone's reactions. Kate, Jack, and Hurley were staring at him in disbelief. Charlotte, Juliet, Jim, and Miles looked somewhat amused. Jin appeared to be listening intently. "Umm…a lot of us either disappeared or died"

"How?" Kate asked softly.

Daniel explained the arrow attack by the fifties versions of the Hostiles and how they had gotten separated from everyone else. He also explained what had happened to them as a result of the time travel, and how they finally ended up in Dharma time.

A heavy silence filled the dining room as Daniel finished speaking. "What happened to the plane?" Jack finally asked.

"During one of the jumps, we must've flashed to a time after your plane crashed. We went to the beach camp, and it was ransacked. There were canoes, and water bottles with the Ajira logo on them. We took one of the canoes to get to the Orchid faster, but some of the people saw us because they took another and began to follow us. They were shooting at us when another flash happened" Juliet explained.

"So Sun's in 2007?" Jin asked almost dejectedly.

"Probably" Juliet put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry"

"I didn't want her to come back, but I do want to see her again. And I want to hear about our baby" Jin sighed.

"Dude, you have a daughter" Hurley told him. "I went to see her after she was born. Her name's Ji Yeon"

Jin smiled. "Ji Yeon" he whispered.

"Who all was on that flight? I don't want any surprises when someone else I know is considered a Hostile" Jim asked.

"Us and Sayid, but you knew that. Sun was, but you know that, too. Locke's body was" Hurley told them. "Oh, and Ben"

"Locke's body?" Miles waited for clarification.

"He died, but Ben said we had to bring him anyway" Hurley shrugged. "No idea why"

"Lapidus was the pilot" Jack told them.

"Frank Lapidus?" Charlotte looked at Jack curiously. When he nodded, Charlotte looked over at Daniel. "Apparently this place doesn't like it when people leave"

Daniel agreed. "You came back"

"Exactly" Charlotte smiled softly.

"You've been here before?" Kate was surprised.

"That's old news" Miles smirked.

"Shut up" Charlotte told him before answering Kate's question. "I grew up here. My younger self just left a week ago, actually"

"So you were three when you left?" Hurley was thinking hard. "I mean, Ben said you were born in 1979"'

"Almost four" Charlotte agreed. "I left two weeks before my fourth birthday"

"Dude, that's weird" Hurley finally said.

"Why did you come back?" Daniel asked. "Locke said he was going to bring you back, but…why'd you come?"

"We came back because we had to" Jack said simply. Hurley and Kate both nodded in agreement, but Kate didn't look anyone in the eye.

"So what about Sayid?" Hurley repeated his question from before dinner.

"Radzinsky found him, and thought he was a Hostile. There's only a few ways we can help him" Miles told Hurley. "And Sayid isn't cooperating yet, so we're trying to think up ways to save his ass and our own"

"Who came up with your cover?" Jack wanted to know.

"James did" Juliet smiled gently at Jim. "And so far, it's worked out perfectly"

"You haven't found anyone else?" Jack said somewhat condescendingly.

"We found the dog. That's someone. Jin's been takin' care of him" Jim said sarcastically before turning serious. "Besides him, no. When we were looking, we were escorted by security. We couldn't look in the most likely places they'd be, like the caves, because apparently Dharma doesn't know about them. If they're still alive, I'm bettin' they're with the Hostiles, but we're still keeping an eye out"

"You two are married?" Kate asked Juliet and Jim. "And so are you?" she asked Daniel and Charlotte.

The four nodded. "Why?" Daniel observed Kate's reaction.

"I just want to keep things straight" she was lying, Daniel was sure, but she thought fast.

"Won't us being here mess up the future?" Hurley asked. "You know, like a Back to the Future type thing?"

"No" Daniel sighed. He looked over at Charlotte and knew what he was about to say wasn't true, but he had no idea how to explain the fact that she survived, and that he had lied to everyone. "Whatever happened, happened. You can't change the past"

"So, we had been here before?" Hurley scratched his head. "How come we don't remember it?"

"Because even though we're in the past, this is our future" Daniel told him.

"But what about if we die? Will our younger selves die?" Hurley couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"No" Daniel tried to explain. "Whatever happened in your life before this point will still happen"

Hurley was still confused. "Just go with it" Charlotte told him. "Whatever you do here, it won't mess up or change anything"

The dinner ended shortly after, and the group dispersed in groups. Jack and Kate were the first to leave, followed by Hurley. When Daniel and Charlotte left, Jin and Miles were still there.

As soon as they closed their front door, Daniel revealed his frustration. "We're never going to figure out a way back"

"Dan, you'll figure out something. I know you will" Charlotte reassured him. "And if you can't for some strange reason, we'll sneak off the compound and talk to Alpert. According to Juliet, he's been around for a long time"

"I just have this feeling that whatever's going to happen next, it won't be good" Daniel hugged Charlotte tightly.

"You're overreacting, Dan" Charlotte laughed. "And yeah, we're going to have to be even more careful than we were before, but it's all going to work out, you'll see"


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 34

During his shift at the Orchid, Daniel was jumpier than usual. He was pouring over all the research that he, along with James and a few others, had done since the station was constructed. Every time someone even walked behind him, he flinched. He was on edge because he knew that Sayid was being interrogated right now. He knew he wasn't the only one acting this way, though. Charlotte had been nervous before they even left their home, and he saw Juliet, Miles, and Jin on his way to work. They all looked as tense as he felt.

"You're working pretty hard today" James observed as he looked over Daniel's shoulder.

"What? Oh, well…I decided I should look over what we've already done in - -in here. See if there's anything we can expand on" Daniel didn't meet James' eyes.

"Smart idea" James sighed. "What do you think of the new people?"

"Why?" Daniel was becoming more and more fidgety. James' questions made him feel extremely nervous.

"I saw you talking to a few of them, that's all" James looked over at Daniel with concern. "Are you okay?"

""I'm fine" Daniel said unconvincingly.

"It's about the Hostile they have in custody, isn't it?" James guessed.

"Well…" Daniel trailed off, unwilling to admit his fears.

"If my family were still here, I'd be just like you are now" James chucked. "You're worried about your wife, aren't you?"

"She can take care of herself" Daniel smiled slightly as he remembered all the times she stood up for him. He stood up and walked over to where various animals were kept. He picked up a rabbit and set it in the chamber, before punching in the code to start the machine. When the doors opened again, the rabbit was gone. Daniel made a few notes, before shutting the doors again.

"What I really want to know is where the animals we put in there end up" Daniel changed the subject. "We know they disappear, but we don't know if they're time traveling or if something else is happening. And if they are time traveling…then we have no way of finding out if they're in the past or the future" Daniel sighed as the doors opened once more to reveal the rabbit. "The only way to find out is to use…something that can communicate with us"

"Like people?" James watched Daniel put the rabbit back in its cage.

"Exactly. But that's too dangerous" Daniel said softly. "We have no idea what the - -the repercussions would be, especially with what's happened to the animals" The animals, if used enough times, developed the same symptoms Daniel had observed and experienced previously. They died the same way as well, from a brain aneurysm. He wished he could reference his journal for information, but it was no longer in his possession. He lost it somewhere on the Island when he returned from his journey to visit his mother. He left her a copy of his journal during his first year on the Island. He and Charlotte left under the pretense of visiting family members.

"Do you think it could affect people the same way?" James observed Daniel closely.

"I'm sure of it" Daniel said firmly as he sat back down and wrote something on a piece of paper. The two fell into their normal routine, with Daniel frantically trying to find a way back. If Sayid told the truth and he was believed, they would have to be able to get back to their proper time as soon as possible.

When he met up with Charlotte, Miles, Jin, and Juliet in the cafeteria for lunch they all appeared even more nervous than they were that morning."Have you heard?" Charlotte asked as soon as he sat down.

"Heard what?" Daniel asked. "Does it have something to do with Sayid?" he whispered.

"He's going to see Oldham. Jim, Radzinsky, and Horace left with him about ten minutes ago" Miles told him.

Daniel shut his eyes for a moment to clear his head. "I still haven't figured out a safe way. The only thing I can think of is doing it the same way Locke and Ben did, and I don't want to put us through that"

"What about what you're doing with the animals?" Juliet asked.

"Do you want to experience headaches and nosebleeds all over again?" Charlotte looked at Juliet with a small amount of annoyance. "Juliet, it's not safe to talk about this hear" Charlotte whispered.

"Here come the Three Musketeers" Miles announced. Daniel turned and watched Jack and Kate enter the cafeteria, and Hurley walk up to meet them.

"I wonder how they're managing" Daniel said as they sat down at a table near the door.

"Kate's doing pretty well at the motor pool" Juliet said. "I thought things would be awkward, but we've been getting along pretty well"

Daniel glanced at his watch. Since becoming a Dharma member, he had gotten a new one. "I should be heading back. Keep me updated if you can, all right?" he asked everyone. They nodded, and kissed Charlotte quickly before leaving the cafeteria.

When he returned from lunch, another member, David, ran up to him. "Faraday, did you hear? They're taking the Hostile to Oldham. That'll get him to talk for sure Maybe he's the one who had this place blown up"

"I highly doubt that" Daniel said, bypassing the man easily.

"Besides, Oldham's a head case" James chuckled. "The most that'll happen to that Hostile is that he'll get high" Daniel flinched when he heard the words head case, but no one else noticed.

When he got home Charlotte was already waiting. "We're fine" she burst out as soon as she saw him. "He told the truth, but no one believed him. Oldham thinks he used too much, and Horace and Radzinsky both thought he was just high"

Daniel laughed in relief as he collapsed on the couch. "I was on edge the whole day"

"I think we all were" Charlotte sat down next to him.

Later that night, Charlotte and Daniel were walking near the docks when they noticed a young blonde woman standing at the edge of the forest on the other side of the pylons. She appeared lost. "Bloody hell" Charlotte gasped when she saw the woman's face. "Dan, we have to go get Jim. Now"

The woman smiled and beckoned to them. "I…think she wants us to come now" Daniel said as he moved slowly to the pylons.

Charlotte blinked. "Dan, it's Claire. Where has she been?"

Daniel quickly entered the code to deactivate the fence, and as soon as he and Charlotte were both through, he activated it again. "Hi" Claire said calmly. "You're Charlotte, right?"

Charlotte nodded. "This is Daniel"

"Hi, Daniel. I'm sure you're surprised to see me" Claire sat down and gestured for Daniel and Charlotte to do the same.

Once they had both settled on the ground, Charlotte continued. "Where have you been? You abandoned your baby in the middle of the woods"

"That's not important" Claire brushed off Charlotte's questions easily. "What is important is that you, Daniel, are trying to find a way back to 2007, right?"

"How do you know that?" Charlotte asked.

"I know a lot more than you think I do" Claire smiled, but it was somewhat eerie. Charlotte quickly grabbed Daniel's hand. "I'm here to tell you something"

"What?" Daniel tried to make sense of everything that was happening.

"There is a way for you to go back that doesn't involve anyone experiencing side-effects" Claire paused. "But that way isn't a possibility for you, yet"

"How will I know?" Daniel glanced over at Charlotte who looked at him with confusion.

"You'll know" Claire stood up and brushed off her clothes before retreating back into the forest.

"Wait" Daniel called after her. She hesitated, before moving to stand in front of them. Daniel felt uneasy, so he stood as well at the same time Charlotte did. "What about everyone else that was here?"

"The people you were with when the jumps started?" Claire asked.

"Yeah" Charlotte said steadily.

"They're safe. You'll see them again" Claire smiled her eerie smile again before disappearing into the trees a second time.

Daniel and Charlotte exchanged glances before hurrying back into the compound. Walking back, Charlotte kept close to Daniel. "That didn't make any sense" she told him. "What do you think's wrong with her?"

"I wish I knew" Daniel shook his head slightly. "We should tell Jim. He'll want to know"

"That's what I suggested before we went to talk to her" Charlotte muttered.

"I know, Char, and I'm sorry I didn't listen" Daniel apologized. "I just…had this feeling that if we did that she'd be gone by the time we got back"

"That's probably what would happen" Charlotte agreed. They walked in silence until they reached LaFleur's house.

Daniel knocked on the door, and Jim wrenched it open. "What?" he said with a hit of annoyance.

"We need to talk to you" Charlotte said seriously. "Can we come in?"

Jim blinked before he stepped aside to let them in. "What do you want, Red? My day's been stressful enough"

"We saw Claire" Daniel told him.

"Claire? Are you sure?" Jim looked shocked.

"Positive. She was right outside the pylons, near the docks. We went out to talk to her, and she seemed a bit…" Charlotte glanced over at Daniel before finishing. "Off"

"Off how?" Jim wanted to know. Juliet came inside before either of them could answer.

"What's going on?" Juliet asked when she registered Charlotte and Daniel's presence.

"They saw Claire. Talked to her, too. She was right outside the pylons, according to these two" Jim told her.

"Is she okay?" Juliet moved to Jim's side.

"Physically, yes" Daniel glanced over at Charlotte. "Charlotte said she seemed off. I never…talked to her, but Charlotte did a little when she was with Locke's group"

"What did she say?" Juliet motioned for everyone to sit down.

"I asked where she had been and why she abandoned her son, and she said it didn't matter" Charlotte revealed. Daniel watched as Juliet and Jim exchanged worried looks.

"That's not like Claire. Aaron had always been her first priority" Juliet said seriously. "Whatever happened to her, it changed her"

"Did she say anything else?" Jim wanted to know.

"She said that we won't be able to go back right now, but when we can I'll know" Daniel said. Her words still confused him. "She also said the rest of our group is safe, but we won't see them for a - - a while"

"I'm gonna start looking for her tomorrow" Jim decided. A scream cut their conversation short. Daniel and Charlotte ran outside with Jim and Juliet right behind them. Daniel stifled a gasp when he saw what had happened. A Dharma van had crashed into a house, and they were both on fire.

"Son of a bitch" Jim groaned. He pushed past Daniel and Charlotte to run into the fray of people.

"That's Annie's house" Juliet whispered.

"Annie?" Charlotte's eyes didn't leave the house.

"She's a little girl" Juliet whispered. "Friends with Ben" She began to look around frantically. "I don't see here anywhere"

Daniel ran towards the house without a second thought. He climbed in a window, and saw a young girl on the floor. She was unconscious, so he picked her up and carried her out of the house and took her to the infirmary. Charlotte and Juliet ran after him. "Is this Annie?" Daniel asked.

"Yes. I'll go find her parents and let them know she's out" Juliet said. She sounded a bit shaken.

Once Annie was in the infirmary, a few nurses swarmed over her. Daniel and Charlotte backed out without anyone noticing. They began to help other Dharma employees with the clean-up. They hadn't been working for long when another van sped into the sea of people before stopping in front of the infirmary. Daniel watched as Jin jumped out and carried a young boy inside.

Daniel and Charlotte waited outside, even after everyone else had returned home.

"Juliet said you saved someone" Miles said as he sat down next to him. "Good job" Daniel glanced up to see Miles, Jim, and Juliet sitting down next to them.

Daniel shook his head. "That - -that shouldn't have happened"

"Who did this?" Charlotte asked.

"What are you doing here?" Jin asked as he came out of the infirmary.

"Who was hurt?" Daniel asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Ben Linus. Sayid shot him" Jin sat down dejectedly, joining the rest of the group.

"Is the doctor there?" Jim looked back at the door as if expecting to see him inside.

"The nurses called for him" Jin sighed deeply before standing back up. "We should all go home. We can't do anything else tonight"

"The girl. Annie" Daniel asked as she stood up. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine. She has a broken leg, a concussion, and smoke inhalation, but she'll be okay" Jin told Daniel.

Daniel nodded before he and Charlotte headed home. Once they settled into bed, Daniel turned to her. "Tonight didn't go very well. And they're not going to get better anytime soon"

"We'll manage. We've made it through worse" Charlotte smiled.

Daniel held Charlotte close to him before falling asleep.


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 35

Daniel and Charlotte left their house to go to work and almost ran over a young girl standing in front of them. At a second glance, Daniel realized it was Annie. Her leg was in a cast, but other than that she appeared perfectly fine/

"Are you Daniel Faraday?" Annie asked politely.

"Yeah, I'm glad to see you're all right, Annie" Daniel replied.

"I just wanted to thank you. You saved my life" Annie smiled shyly, but kept shifting back and forth. She was unsteady on her crutches.

"It's not a problem" Daniel smiled back.

"Do you want to come inside?" Charlotte offered.

"You were leaving" Annie shook her head. "I just came here to say thank you"

"Are you sure?" Charlotte offered again.

"I'm sure, but thanks anyway Mrs. Faraday" Annie glanced behind her. "I want to check on Ben, and my parents will probably be looking for me soon"

"Okay. I'm…glad you came, though. I was going to come see you after I came back from work tonight" Daniel revealed to Annie.

"Bye, Mr. Faraday. Mrs. Faraday" Annie smiled brightly before she hobbled off quickly on her crutches towards the infirmary.

"It's hard to believe that girl is friends with Ben" Charlotte said quietly as she watched Annie go. "And even Ben seems different. It's so hard to reconcile who he is now with who he'll become"

"Something must've happened, something big, to make him change" Daniel looked at his watch. "I really have to go"

"Same" Charlotte agreed. They kissed quickly before they went in opposite directions.

At the Orchid, James came in after Daniel for once. "I know I'm late when you get here before me" James said when he saw Daniel. "And I would've gotten here before you, but Annie's parents stopped me to ask me if I'd seen her. I helped them look for a little bit, before they caught her when she left the infirmary"

"She was at my house this morning" Daniel wrote some new equations down. He didn't care what Claire had said. He needed to keep looking.

"You got her out of there, didn't you? I forgot" James sighed. "I'm so glad Jeanette and Charlotte are gone. What's happening now, they got off just in time"

"I - -I think a lot of families realized things were going to get worse. Especially after what happened here" Daniel remembered the conversations he had heard after the Incident. Families began to plan to leave faster than anyone could keep track. There were hardly any children left on the Island anymore. "Even Amy's trying to get Horace to let her and Ethan leave"

"He won't do it. He's too worried about Amy leaving him. Not to mention, he thinks he can keep them safer if he's with them" James told Daniel. "I wonder how Ben's doing. I can't believe that Hostile shot him. He's just a kid"

"I don't know. I haven't heard anything" Daniel said. Something in his voice must've told James he didn't want to talk about it anymore, because James began to talk to some of the other workers.

During lunch, Daniel and Charlotte went to the infirmary. They were surprised to see Kate there, talking to Roger Linus.

"Juliet" Charlotte called, a bit surprised seeing her working in the infirmary. She did occasionally, but she preferred to stay in the motor pool.

Juliet glanced over at Roger, then moved further into the infirmary, motioning for Charlotte and Daniel to follow. "What are you guys doing here?" she whispered.

Daniel glanced over at Ben, noticing Annie was sitting next to him. "We wanted to see how he is. Where's the doctor?"

"At another station further up the Island for the next two days" Juliet sounded grim. "He needs a surgeon, and Jack's refusing to help. He's going to die if he doesn't get help"

"He can't" Daniel said seriously. "He's alive in the future"

"Dan, we know that isn't set in stone" Charlotte whispered. She tried to keep her voice so Juliet wouldn't hear her, but she picked up on it.

"What do you mean?" Juliet stared at them. "And no excuses. Tell the truth"

"One thing has been changed. One. Char, that doesn't mean anything else will" Daniel ignored Juliet's words.

"Daniel" Juliet's voice turned threatening.

"Charlotte" Daniel sighed. "Charlotte should've…she should've died"

"What?" Juliet looked angry. "And you kept walking around saying 'Whatever happened, happened'? I can't believe you"

"Juliet" Charlotte got in between the two. "Let's go outside where we can't be overheard"

"Fine" Juliet stormed out the back door. "Now will you explain?"

"Charlotte, we agreed we weren't going to tell them" Daniel turned around to face her as soon as the door closed behind them.

"The situation's changed, Daniel. Ben's life is in danger because of us" Charlotte said forcefully.

"Daniel, Charlotte" Juliet broke into their argument. "I want answers, and I want them now"

"Okay, my journal…I didn't write it" Daniel started. "I got it when I turned eighteen from my mother. She got it from me, when I was a kid" he sighed. "It's confusing, I know. In it, it said that Charlotte died from the flashes right before we ended up here. Somehow, I don't know how, but somehow she survived this time. I - -I think it was her necklace. The journal never mentioned her having a necklace. It became her constant, and saved her life"

"Then how come she was getting a bloody nose like the rest of us?" Juliet sat down during Daniel's explanation and rubbed her head.

"She - -she lost it" Daniel muttered. "During one of the flashes, she lost it"

"Is that why you're so against us going back the same way this whole thing started?" Juliet wondered.

"Partially. It's dangerous for all of us, and extremely unpredictable. That's the other reason" Daniel told her.

"Did what happen to Miles happen when Charlotte died?" Juliet asked gently.

"No" Daniel told her and became lost in thought. "But…that means...I have to go" He jumped up and ran to the van so he could go back to the Orchid.

"Dan" Charlotte called after him, and quickly caught up to him. "What's going on?"

"Things can be changed. So far, the only permanent thing that's changed is you being alive, but Miles…he almost died. That's a difference" Daniel whispered to her. "I'm sorry, you were right. Do you think Juliet can keep this to herself until I figure this out?"

Charlotte looked at the infirmary, where Juliet was still standing. "I'll talk to her and let you know"

Daniel reached out and stroked her hair. "I really am sorry"

"I know" Charlotte hugged him. "And you're forgiven"

"Look, I have to get back…to the Orchid. I've been working with the fact that things can't be changed. That's what I always thought. This means that maybe I can find a way to get us back. I'm not sure how, but I'll try" Daniel held her for another moment before he broke the embrace and climbed into the van. He started the van and waved as he drove away.

At the Orchid, he spoke to no one. He wrote and read frantically, scratching out equations and variables constantly. He worked like that until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Daniel" James' voice broke through Daniel's concentration. "It's time for you to go"

Daniel blinked and stared at his papers. He had made some progress, but not as much as he had hoped. "Thanks, James. I - -I just got wrapped up in this"

"What it is?" James moved to look at the papers, but Daniel gathered them up quickly.

"Maybe nothing, maybe something. I haven't made enough progress with it yet" Daniel shoved the papers in the bag and walked out of the station with James, equations still running through his head.

When he entered the compound, he overheard an argument between Annie and her parents. "No! I don't want you spending time with him anymore, even if he does come back" her mother yelled.

Daniel stopped to listen. "Why? He wanted to leave. He's wanted to leave for years. He hates it here" Annie shouted back. "That's probably why he did it. And then he let the Hostile go to make it look like the fire was to break him out"

"He crashed a burning van into our house" her dad said furiously. "He could've killed all of us"

"I didn't listen" Annie said regretfully. "Dad, he told me to make sure we were all out. He warned me, but I didn't listen. By the time I remembered, the van was coming at us. I ran, but I tripped. That must've been when I broke my leg"

"It doesn't matter, Annie" Her mother told her. "He's the reason you're hurt. He let the Hostile go. I want you to stay away from him"

"I won't. If he comes back, I'm not going to abandon him" Annie was determined. She turned and left, and Daniel hurried to his house before her parents could catch him eavesdropping.

"Charlotte" he called as he walked inside. "What's going on?"

Charlotte was lying on the couch, but she sat up when he walked in. "Ben's gone. Kate and Jim took him to Alpert. They think he can save him"

"How'd they get away with it?" Daniel sat down next to her.

"Jim said Alpert came into the infirmary and took him, forcing them to go with him until they reached the pylons" Charlotte sighed. "The alarms didn't go off, but I think that's being overlooked at the moment. Since the alarms didn't go off when the Orchid was blown up, they think the Hostiles have ways of getting in here undetected if they want to"

Daniel rubbed his forehead. "This is a mess. They come back, they shoot Ben, and our cover is almost blown. Claire shows up, but she's not herself"

"Did you figure out a way for us to get back?" Charlotte asked Daniel as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I made some progress, but not much" Daniel pulled her closer. "But progress is progress"

"Why did you ask if something happened? What'd you hear?" Charlotte asked.

"Annie fighting with her parents. They said something about Ben disappearing, but you explained that. Also, Ben…he caused the fire. He crashed the van into Annie's house. He had it planned" Daniel began to run his hand through Charlotte's hair.

"What do you mean he had it planned?" Charlotte turned to look at Daniel.

"He - -he warned her. He told her to make sure her and her family weren't in the house, but…" Daniel shook his head slightly. "She said that when she saw the van coming she went to warn her parents but she fell"

"Poor girl" Charlotte smiled.

"What?" Daniel was confused as to why she appeared amused.

"Her parents told her to stay away from Ben, didn't they?" Charlotte was still smiling.

"Yeah, why?" Daniel wanted to know why that was funny.

"There's no way that'll happen unless they take the girl off this Island" Charlotte chuckled. "She's too stubborn for her own good"

"Like you?" Daniel couldn't help himself.

"Dan" Charlotte said before she laughed. "You're right"

"Want to go for a walk?" Daniel asked once her laughter died down.

"Sure, but we can't go far. Jim stopped by and told me that we can't leave the area around here" Charlotte told him.

"Why?" Daniel shifted slightly to get more comfortable.

"He said that everyone's suspicious right now, because they all think the Hostiles have someone inside the compound. If someone leaves the area, people will become really suspicious" Charlotte paused as Daniel's hands traveled up and down her arms. She sighed contentedly and continued. "Jim said we need to keep a low profile"

"It's been three years. Hard to believe that it could all still fall apart" Daniel looked down at Charlotte.

"Miles invited himself over tonight" Charlotte told him. "He said someone gave him a video that we'd find amusing"

"When's he coming?" Daniel glanced at the clock.

"Half hour" Charlotte said after looking at the clock as well. "We should probably get some food before he shows up"

"First I want to show you what I - -I figured out today" Daniel regretfully let go of Charlotte and leaned down to pick up his bag. He pulled out the papers, and began to explain what was written to Charlotte.

After he finished, Charlotte smiled. "That's a good sign, Dan. We're closer to getting back where we should be" She grabbed Daniel's wrist and looked at his watch. "We still have fifteen minutes, enough time to eat something quick"

Daniel and Charlotte had just finished their sandwiches when Miles showed up. He waved a video in greeting when Charlotte let him in. "What's on the tape?" she asked as he walked past.

"You'll see" Miles smirked. He put the movie in and on the screen came up. It was Chang's orientation video for the Arrow, at least the first take of it. Daniel smiled quietly as Chang broke character, and Charlotte chuckled. "Knew you'd like this. Our fearless leader isn't as kind as he pretends to be. LaFleur needs me, though, so I gotta run" Miles stood up and ejected the video. "And if anyone realizes I took this, I'm going to be in trouble"

"Why?" Charlotte asked.

"Chang doesn't like people to realize he's an ass" Miles smirked. "See you tomorrow"


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 36

A week after Daniel and Charlotte watched the first take of the Arrow's orientation video, the alarms blared in the early morning. Running to their living room window, they saw other Dharma residents peering outside as well. Strolling casually into the middle of the compound was Richard Alpert, followed by Benjamin Linus. He was carrying himself differently than he had before, Daniel could tell even from a distance. He watched as Ben took in his surroundings in a calculating way. Charlotte's hand found his, and they both tensed.

Jim hurried out of his house towards Alpert, followed closely behind by Horace. They could see Jim and Alpert talking, but they couldn't make out the gist of the conversation. Horace had hurried over to Ben and took him from Alpert's side, but Ben pulled away almost immediately. Daniel saw as Ben's eyes passed over Annie's still destroyed house, but he had no visible reaction.

Alpert left Ben standing in the compound and returned to the forest. Alpert left, and Charlotte whispered "No, Annie"

Daniel looked and saw Annie hurrying over to Ben as fast as her crutches would allow her. They were staying in an empty house next to Daniel's until theirs was repaired. She moved to hug him, and although Ben allowed it he didn't return the hug. Annie backed away, and Ben said something. Annie hurried back to her new house, and Daniel could see she was crying. "I guess whatever happened to him while he was gone is what turned him into the Ben we know" Daniel told Charlotte.

"Bastard" Charlotte muttered before she closed the curtains. "I can't watch anymore"

"Why don't we get ready and then go talk to Jim? Maybe he can fill us in" Daniel suggested.

They didn't have to search for Jim though. He came to their house a half hour after. "What happened?" Charlotte demanded as soon as he walked into the living room.

"Alpert brought back Ben" Jim said. He sounded a bit tired.

"We saw that" Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Now, will you tell us what happened?"

"He seemed to go along with what I was sayin'. He knows a bit about our situation, considering you two and Miles met him in the fifties. My meetin' with him our first night here let him know that. He covered for us. Ben's different from the way he was, though. He wasn't very warm and fuzzy to begin with, but now he's even worse" Jim revealed. "I wanted to smack him for what he said to that girl, though"

"What'd he say?" Daniel wasn't sure he wanted to find out, but he knew it might be important.

Jim's eyes narrowed. "She said she was glad he was all right. He told her to get away from him, and said he was surprised that she was up and walkin' around. The way he sounded, it was almost like he wished she had been badly hurt"

"Now I want to smack him" Charlotte muttered.

"Besides his…personality, how is he?" Daniel wrapped an arm around Charlotte's waist.

"Physically, he's fine. Mentally, he's the Ben that we know in the future" Jim looked up at the clock. "I gotta get going, and you two probably do, too. I'll see ya later"

Everyone in the compound was talking about Ben's return, and their concern about his behavior. The way he treated Annie had traveled faster than Daniel had expected. As he had done for the past week, Daniel worked harder than ever to find a way to get back. Now that Ben was a Hostile, he knew it was only a matter of time until the Purge took place. He had ten years, but with the progress he was making he needed to make more progress soon. He needed to find a way to protect everyone.

He had temporarily considered taking Annie with them when they returned to the future. The girl had grown on him during the past week. She would come over his house after dinner and she would spend time with him and Charlotte. Sometimes they would play a game, other times they just talked. She had a hard time when Ben was gone. He learned that although she was well-liked, the only person she really considered a friend was Ben.

The idea dissipated almost as soon as he thought of it, though. Annie belonged in this time. Whatever happened to her, he couldn't interfere. He had told himself not to get too close to any of the people here, but in the three years since he made that promise he had befriended James, Amy, and Horace. Annie had quickly become added to that list, as well.

They hadn't heard from Sayid since the night he escaped, and Daniel was apprehensive about that. Did he join the Hostiles, or did he somehow meet up with the other survivors? He had also wondered about Claire. Jim, Miles, and Jin had gone out into the forest daily. The Dharma Initiative believed they were looking for Ben. In reality, they were looking for Claire, but they couldn't find any sign of her. Two nights previous, Miles had visited their house.

"_Look, we haven't found her. We've searched all around the compound, and there's no sign of anyone" Miles eyed both of them. "Are you sure you saw her?"_

'"_What are you insinuating? That we made it up?" Charlotte appeared calm, but Daniel could tell she was becoming angry._

"_Just…that was a stressful night. Sayid took off and shot Ben. A house had a burning van crash into it. I'm not saying that you intentionally made it up, but…" Miles trailed off as Charlotte slapped him in the face. "What'd you do that for?" he yelled._

"_We did not make it up, Miles" Charlotte's voice was deceptively calm. "If we were going to make up seeing someone, why would it be a woman that Daniel never even met, and I only saw once?"_

"_I don't know" Miles became thoughtful. _

"_Miles" Daniel interrupted the argument. "We didn't make up anything. Just…she's out there somewhere. Keep looking"_

"_Jim may want to quit soon" Miles told them._

"_He's spent three bloody years looking for Rose, Bernard, and everyone else" Charlotte glared at Miles. "He's not going to give up on Claire. Not after we saw her"_

"_Miles" Jim's voice came from the walkie Miles was carrying. "Where are you?"_

"_At the Faraday's" Miles replied. _

"_Stay there. I'm coming over" Jim said before the walkie went silent._

_Jim showed up less than two minutes later. When Daniel let him in, he greeted him with "Are you going to - -to give up on Claire?"_

"_We're gonna have to. We have to give up looking for Ben soon, too" Jim sighed. "We can't look for her if we ain't looking for him"_

"_But you've been looking for everyone else" Charlotte argued. "Why is this any different? You haven't given up on them"_

"_We had to give up on Walt" Jim muttered, then appeared panicked when he realized what he had said._

"_Who's Walt?" Daniel thought for a moment. "Was he one of the survivors?" _

"_Yeah. He's a kid. He was taken by the Hostiles, and his dad went crazy looking for him. the rest of us gave up, but his dad didn't. The man ended up setting Linus free and killin' two other people to get him back" Jim sat down on a chair._

"_Did he?" Daniel asked._

"_Yeah, he did. It's a bad example. They left the Island on a boat" Jim paused. "How's this? Claire's disappeared more than once"_

"_What?" Charlotte appeared a bit taken aback at the news._

"_Yeah, Ethan…you know Ethan, Amy's kid. Ethan took her. She showed up not remembering anything" Jim adjusted his glasses. "Claire's a survivor. If she's alive, she'll turn up"_

"_If she's alive?" Daniel studied Jim closely._

"_Locke was seeing Walt on the Island after he left" Jim told them. "We started calling him taller ghost Walt. This place can mess with your head if you aren't careful"_

Daniel had a feeling that Jim was right when he said this place can mess with your head. He knew that he saw Claire, though. Charlotte had seen her as well, which cemented the fact that he didn't just imagine her.

On the way back from the Orchid, Daniel saw Ben. "Ben" he greeted him. "How are you doing?"

"Why do you want to know?" Ben fixed him with a stare that was unnerving.

"You - -you were gone for a week" Daniel stuttered. He hadn't felt intimidated by someone younger than him for a long time, if ever.

"I'm fine, not that any of you care" Ben said coldly. "I was missing for a week, and no one came after me"

"We did look. And Annie…she cares" Daniel told Ben.

"She shouldn't" Ben glared at him, but the mask had slipped for a moment when Daniel said Annie's name. "It's my fault that she's hurt. She's better off staying away from me, or getting off this Island"

"I felt that way, once" Daniel revealed. He had no idea why he was telling Ben this, but maybe he could still prevent him from becoming a killer. "With my wife. I felt like she'd be better off away from me. She refused to leave, though, and everything worked itself out"

"You're not me. No one here cared about me, not even her. She didn't stop my dad. She didn't look for me" Ben said before walking away, leaving Daniel stunned into silence. Whatever had happened to Ben with the Hostiles, his path was set.

"How's Ben?" a voice came from behind him. Daniel turned to see Annie.

"He's - -he's not doing so well" Daniel told her.

Annie's normally smiling face was grim. "He's different. Something happened to him. Will he be okay?"

"I don't know, Annie. I just don't know" Daniel sighed.

"Thanks for telling me the truth, Mr. Faraday" she said finally.

"Annie, I've told you to call me Daniel" he reminded her.

"I know, but it feels weird" a hint of a smile appeared on her face before it disappeared. "I'll see you later"

"Bye, Annie" Daniel said and he walked back home. He was almost there when he walked past the house that Jack, Hurley, and Kate were staying in. He made a quick decision and knocked on the door.

"Daniel, what are you doing here?" Kate was bewildered at why he was at her house.

"Is Jack here?" Daniel craned his neck to look behind her.

"Come on in. I'll go get him" Kate studied Daniel for a moment. "You've changed"

"Not much. And so have you" he pointed out.

"Not that much" she said before she left the room. Daniel looked around while he waited. It seemed like most Dharma houses had the same layout. There were really no personal touches that he could see, but they had only been here for a short amount of time.

"Daniel" Jack said in greeting. "What are you doing here?"

Daniel mentally prepared himself. He wasn't going to chicken out now. "It's your fault"

"Excuse me?" Jack wasn't sure what was going on, and from behind Jack Daniel could see Kate also looking confused.

"Ben. It's your fault" Daniel repeated.

"What are you talking about? He's walking around. He's alive" Jack defended himself.

"You're the reason he became what he did" Daniel told him. "You - -you didn't know him. He was a good kid. Being taken to the Hostiles is what made him into the Ben that you knew. It's your fault, and you don't even feel guilty" Daniel shook his head. "What happened to you? Before, you gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. You gave everyone a second chance, or even a third, even if they didn't deserve it. I know Char and I didn't" He looked at Jack for a few more seconds, who appeared stunned, before leaving. As soon as he shut the door behind him, he muttered "Why did I just do that?"

The door opened behind him, and he almost fell back into the house. The person steadied him, and he turned around to see Kate. "Daniel, thanks for doing that. I've wanted to yell at him since it happened"

"Why didn't you?" Daniel knew Kate had no problem calling Jack out on anything before.

"A lot happened after we left. He changed a lot. What he did is nothing new" Kate attempted a smile. "Maybe this is the wake-up call he needs"

Daniel shrugged before heading to his house. "You're back later than normal. Something happen?" Charlotte looked up from her book when she saw him walk in.

"I tried to talk to Ben" Daniel told her. "What are you reading?"

Charlotte smiled and held the book out of his reach. "Keep talking, Dan"

"He's completely changed" Daniel shook his head. "After I talked to him, I talked to Annie for a few minutes. She's pretty upset about the whole thing. Then, I don't know why I did this" he groaned. "I went to talk to Jack. I told him that that what happened to Ben was his fault"

"Well, it is" Charlotte said quietly.

"But I shouldn't have done that" Daniel put his head in his hands. "It was…completely out of line"

"It might be what he needed" Charlotte reassured Daniel. "We'll just have to wait and see. Worst case scenario, he won't do anything to help anyone. Best case, he'll actually start to give a damn again"

"Char" Daniel kissed her. "What would I do without you?" he asked after they broke apart.

"Go back in time to try to save me?" Charlotte chuckled.

"Sounds about right" Daniel smiled.


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 37

A month passed without any event of significance. Despite the seeming peacefulness, Daniel was on edge. He knew that eventually, a war would break out. The Dharma Initiative was training their people to fight. Daniel and Charlotte had both been trained on how to shoot, and it reminded Daniel of when he was handed a gun on the freighter. It made him uneasy then, and it still made him uneasy now.

Even though the majority of the Dharma people appeared to have no worries, families with small children had practically disappeared from the Island. The only child left under the age of ten was Ethan, and there were hardly any teenagers around either. Besides Annie and Ben, there were only a handful of other teenagers on the Island. Annie and Ben could barely even be considered teenagers anymore. Daniel thought of Annie as a girl, but she was almost an adult. Same as Ben.

Daniel knew, because of Juliet, that Ethan would eventually become a Hostile. He was waiting for the day the child would be stolen. Charlotte was jumpy as well. She hid it exceptionally well, but anytime there was a loud noise she would jump, and during their nightly walks her eyes were darting everywhere. The only time she fully relaxed anymore was when she was at home with Daniel.

Daniel was lost in thought when Charlotte entered the living room, Annie trailing behind her. "Dan" Charlotte said softly as she sat down next to him. "Dan" she repeated as she touched him on his shoulder.

"Char?" Daniel blinked slightly. "Annie…? What are you doing here?" He moved to get up, but he thought better of it and sat back down.

"It's Ben" Annie said mournfully. "He's been saying some really horrible things. About how everyone in Dharma is going to pay, and how I should leave if I want to live"

"Bloody hell" Charlotte whispered as she practically fell onto the couch. "Annie, you should tell Jim"

"He'll just put him in the jail, or send him away" Annie wiped her bloodshot eyes. "He's just having a hard time, isn't he?"

"Annie" Daniel said quietly. "No one knows what happened to him with the Hostiles. Something might've…changed him. He - -he doesn't remember being shot"

"He doesn't?" Annie's eyes went wide.

"No. He thinks that he was taken and no one wanted to look for him" Charlotte said to Annie when she realized Daniel wasn't going to say anything.

"I need to talk to him" Annie said determinedly and she left without another word.

"We need to tell Jim" Daniel said as they both stared at the door.

"I'll call him" Charlotte touched Daniel's arm for a second before moving to the phone.

"Jim" Daniel heard Charlotte say. "Can you come over? Annie was here, and she told me something that you should hear"

Charlotte hung up and walked to the window. "That was short" Daniel glanced at the phone and looked back at Charlotte.

"He said he'd be right over and hung up" Charlotte leaned up against the window sill and sighed. "Did we do the right thing?"

"With what?" Daniel got up, walked to Charlotte, and wrapped his arm around her waist.

She leaned into him as she explained. "Calling Jim. What can he do? Right now, it's just a threat"

"Still, he needs to know, Char" Daniel said gently. "If something happens and he finds out we knew about it…"

"He'd flip out" Charlotte finished.

"Faraday's! Open up. I ain't got all day" Jim called from outside.

"And you didn't knock why?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows as Jim pushed past her. Daniel stifled a chuckle.

"Sounded important" Jim turned to face them both. "So what is it?"

"Annie came over" Daniel started. "She said Ben's been…making threats. How Dharma's in trouble, and he told her that if she wants to survive she should leave"

Jim ran his hand through his hair. "I had an idea something like this was gonna happen. You know how you guys have guns?" Daniel nodded slightly. "Well, Horace's preparing us for a war. All of security's bein' trained, and so are the people in charge of defensive strategies in the Arrow. A bunch of other people are, too, but they're scattered around the other stations" Jim's face became even more serious than it was before. "Look, you can't tell anyone. This ain't common knowledge"

"We won't" Daniel reassured Jim. "We swear. Just…when's it going to start?"

"The war?" Jim shrugged. "Whenever Horace gives us the go ahead. Red, there's something you should know" He looked straight at her as he continued. "Your dad? He's one of the ones being trained"

Charlotte tensed but showed no other signs of having heard him. Daniel barely even noticed when Jim left. He was too busy watching Charlotte. "Are you okay?" he asked softly. He didn't want to startle her.

"He's been dead for most of my life. Why is this bothering me?" Charlotte asked as she looked at the floor. "Most of people here are going to die soon. I'm upset about it, but it doesn't make me react like this. I can talk to them, knowing their fate. I can't talk to my dad, though. It's too hard"

"It's hard because he's your dad" Daniel hugged her. "Look, it's all going to work out…somehow. I'll get us out of here before it reaches the worst part. I promise"

Later that night, Daniel and Charlotte were talking a walk around the compound. They didn't leave the area with the houses in it, but neither of them wanted to sit around and do nothing. They saw Jim talking to Ben, and after having a silent conversation they moved closer without being obvious.

They were too far away to hear what Jim said to Ben, but by the time he replied they were within earshot. "It's already started" Ben said to Jim emotionlessly. As he walked away, Daniel and Charlotte walked over to Jim.

They didn't have a chance to say anything because Horace raced up to them in a panic. "Have any of you seen Amy or Ethan?"

"No. Why?" Jim answered. Daniel felt his heart sink and he inched closer to Charlotte.

"They're gone. Both of them. I looked everywhere" Horace was frantically looking around everywhere.

"Ok, I'll go to the security station. Jin's on duty tonight. I'll ask him if he say anything on the monitors" Jim grabbed his walkie and called someone. "Miles" he said quickly when the other person answered. "Go to the Flame and see if Radzinsky picked up anything on his monitors over there. Amy and her kid are missing"

Daniel quickly walked away from the collection of buildings and towards the perimeter of the compound. "Dan, what the bloody hell are you doing?" Charlotte called after him, and he could hear her footsteps catching up to him.

"I'm going to look for Claire. Maybe she has some answers" Daniel refused to slow down, but by then Charlotte was matching him step for step. He waited for a reply but he got none. They hurried in silence to the pylons and went to deactivate them, but they realized they were already turned off.

The two exchanged grim looks and they passed through without looking back. As they approached the tree line, they saw a figure standing there. As the shape moved towards them, they saw a man.

"Who are you?" Charlotte asked bravely, but Daniel noticed that she moved closer to him.

"That isn't important" the man informed them. "But if you must know, I'm Claire's father. Now, I understand you have some questions?"

"Two people were taken from the - -the compound. We were wondering if you knew what happened" Daniel felt uneasy in this man's presence.

"You already know what happened to them" the man said. "They're safe" Daniel blinked, and the man was gone.

"Did you see what…happened to him?" Daniel turned to Charlotte.

"No" Charlotte shook her head. "Dan, we should get back before they notice we're gone as well"

"But, Char, he knows more. He knows where Claire is, where everyone else is. We - -we should go after him" Daniel took a few steps forward.

"No" Charlotte said forcefully. "Dan, we're going back" She grabbed his arm.

"But…" Daniel started to protest.

"No" she repeated. "We're going back now" She took a few steps back towards the pylons and pulled Daniel after her. "Dan, we can talk to him later. It's not safe to be out here. And, everyone back at the compound is already panicked about Amy and Ethan"

Daniel stumbled after her willingly but glanced back towards the trees multiple times. He could see the man watching them go, but he made no move to fight her. She didn't let go of him until they could see the lights from the houses.

"Where were you?" Jin shouted when he spotted them. He hurried over to the pair, who had stopped when they were noticed.

"We were walking along the edge of the compound to see if there was any sign of Amy or Ethan" Charlotte said quickly. If Daniel didn't know any better, he would've believed her. "Have you found them?"

"No. We think a Hostile took them. We just can't figure out how they got in without the alarms going off" Jin sighed. He knew, just as Daniel and Charlotte, that this was the start of many problems for Dharma.

"Someone on the inside had to have gotten them out. Someone she trusted" Charlotte glanced around before lowering her voice. "I think it was Ben"

"Ben?" Jin repeated.

"He's been different since he came back" Daniel told him. "I think he's joined the Hostiles. Amy would trust him. She's known him for - -for years"

"We can't tell people this. They will panic" Jin whispered. "And how do you know he's been different?"

"Annie told us" Charlotte said seriously. "He's been treating her pretty bad since he's gotten back, and he's been making threats"

"James told me" Jin told him. "It's just hard to find a way to put this all together"

"What's going on?" Miles asked casually as he strode over.

"We're talking about what could've happened to Amy and Ethan" Charlotte slipped her hand into Daniel's.

"I'll explain later" Jin said at Miles' look of impatience.

"Look, you guys should go home. Something else might happen tonight, and I want you and everyone else inside if it does" Miles studied Daniel and Charlotte intently. "And you better tell me what they told you" he said to Jin. Daniel and Charlotte nodded and walked towards their house.

Inside, Charlotte hurried over to where she had put their guns. "Char, what are you doing?"

"Getting the guns. We might need them" Charlotte rummaged around for them and put the guns and bullets on the coffee table.

"We don't need them" Daniel eyed the guns uneasily. He had never used one, and he never wanted to, but it seemed like he would have to sooner or later.

"Dan" Charlotte left the guns alone and walked to his side. She caressed his face for a few seconds before dropping her hand. "People are being taken. You know as well as I do that it isn't safe here anymore. I don't want anything to happen to you. I'll start teaching you how to shoot tomorrow. I know you don't want to, but you may need to one day"

Daniel studied her. He could see the fear and love in her eyes, and he stroked her hair. "Okay" he finally agreed. A noise from outside distracted them.

Daniel opened the window despite Charlotte's protests, and voices floated into the room. "The damn fence was deactivated" Jim said angrily to someone. "You're not doing anything, this is my job"

"No" Horace said back just as angrily. "The Hostiles have my wife and son. I'm going to get them back no matter what it takes"

"No, Horace" Daniel watched as Jim moved in front of Horace.

"What's going on?" Charlotte asked Daniel quietly.

"They found out the fence was deactivated, and it looks like Horace wants to go after them" Daniel replied quickly before directing his attention back to the window.

"Son of a bitch. Damn it, Horace. Get back here. You're not going after them by yourself. You'll probably be killed before you even seen them" Jim ran after Horace, who was leaving the area with the houses. Horace hesitated, and Jim took advantage of that. "Look, Horace. I know you want to bring them back. And we will. We can't go barging in there after them, though"

Charlotte reached over and shut the window. "Dan, we've heard enough"

Daniel nodded. "Jim got through to him…for now" He shut the curtains and walked over to the bookshelf as he perused the titles. He pulled a random book of the shelf and showed it to Charlotte. "You were reading this. You started it last month, and you finished it two weeks ago"

"How do you even remember that?" Charlotte took the book from him and put it back on the shelf. "I can't even remember when I finished it"

Daniel smiled gently at her. "I remember because you're different. You're special…just you. It's easy to remember things that have to do with you"

Daniel watched as she smiled brightly and the fear disappeared from her eyes. He knew it would come back, but he didn't want it to happen anytime soon.


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 38

"All right, Dan" Charlotte eyed Daniel's posture. She reached for his hands and readjusted his grip, then stepped back and looked critically at his stance. She nodded slightly and moved to his side. "Focus on the target" Daniel squinted at the target in the distance. A make-shift shooting range had been set up a safe distance away from the Dharma houses. "Are you ready?"

Daniel nodded slightly. His hands were beginning to sweat. "As ready as I'll ever be"

Charlotte placed a hand on his shoulder for a moment before withdrawing it. "Okay, shoot" Daniel took a deep breath before pulling the trigger and he stumbled backwards. He lowered the gun and watched as she walked to the target to see how he did. She nodded and smiled, with Daniel took as a signal to dismantle the gun, which he did gratefully.

"How'd I do?" Daniel shifted his weight from foot to foot as he waited for her response.

"Pretty good" Charlotte called back and she walked over to Daniel. "You're not an expert, but you've improved significantly since we started this morning. And you're definitely capable enough of defending yourself in case the Hostiles attack"

"So I'm done?" Daniel asked hopefully.

Charlotte hesitated and eyed the dismantled gun sitting on the ground. "You're done" she decided, picked up the gun, and quickly put it away. "You've got to be back at the Orchid in an hour"

"I haven't made any more progress" Daniel said dejectedly. "And lately, being there makes me frustrated"

"You'll get there, Dan" Charlotte leaned up and gave him a quick kiss.

"I need to - -to talk to someone about this, work with them. But I can't tell them why I'm trying to figure this out" Daniel glanced around to make sure no one overheard what he was talking about.

"Is there anyone in the Orchid that won't ask questions about why you need help?" Charlotte and Daniel began to walk away from the shooting range.

"I don't know" Daniel thought hard and mentally ran through all of the people that worked with him. "Maybe…Johnny" he finally decided.

"Johnny?" Charlotte sounded a bit confused. "You've never mentioned him before"

"He mainly works on the smaller projects, but…he's intelligent, and he doesn't ask questions. He was brought here with the last batch of recruits" Daniel was slowly beginning to warm up to the idea.

"Then ask him" Charlotte encouraged Daniel.

Daniel nodded. When he reached a van, he kissed Charlotte and smiled. "Thanks for the idea"

"Anytime" Charlotte waved before heading to the Arrow.

When Daniel arrived at the Orchid, James met him at the entrance. "Faraday, where have you been?" He asked jokingly.

"Charlotte was teaching me how to shoot a gun" Daniel didn't look at James, but instead started to look around the station. "Is Johnny around?"

"He's in one of the back rooms downstairs" James answered as the two walked to the elevator. "Why?"

"I want to ask him if he could help me with a project I want to start working on" Daniel explained vaguely.

James pointed to a door at the end of the main lab. "He's right in there"

Daniel walked into the room without another word. Thankfully, Johnny was alone. "Faraday?" Johnny asked with a mixture of enthusiasm and confusion.

"I…want to ask you to help me with something, but you have to keep quiet about it" Daniel hoped Johnny would agree.

"Yeah, sure" Johnny wheeled the chair away from the desk. "I've been wanting to get on something bigger than putting everyone's notes into a computer"

"It's a matter of great importance that you keep this just between the two of us" Daniel repeated.

"I understand " Johnny told Daniel. They looked at each other for a few moments. "Are you going to tell me what the project is?"

"Oh…yeah. Sorry" Daniel shook his head. "Okay, what I'm thinking is…I'm trying to figure out an alternate, safe way to time travel to a set date"

"What?" Johnny blinked. "Why do you want to go to a specific date? We've just realized it's possible?"

"Just to see if it can be done" Daniel remembered that when he first started studying time travel, that was something he was interested in.

"And you don't want anyone to know this why?" Johnny bought it, thankfully.

"If I fail, I don't want to become a - -a laughingstock" Daniel glanced at the ground.

"Understandable. When do you want to start?" Johnny stood up and walked around the desk.

"Would now be good?" Daniel asked, trying to not get his hopes up.

"Sounds good" Johnny smiled. "Bye, ridiculous computer" he waved and they both exited the room.

A few hours later, Daniel returned to find Charlotte sitting on their porch with Juliet. "How'd it go?" Charlotte asked.

"He agreed. I didn't tell him a lot, but…he still decided to help out" Daniel sat down next to her. "How're you, Juliet?" he greeted warmly.

"Pretty good. I just wanted to get out of my house. James and Jack are having a discussion, and I decided I didn't want to be around for it" Juliet took a sip of water that was sitting next to her.

A door slammed, and Daniel looked up to see Jack storming out of the LaFleur's house. "It doesn't look like it went that well"

Juliet looked back at her house for a moment. "He came in accusing James of putting you up to lecturing him about what happened to Ben"

Charlotte's eyes narrowed, and Daniel racked his brain to see if he had told her, and relaxed significantly when he remembered that he had. "He just wants everyone to be exactly how they were when he left"

"I don't think it's that. He just doesn't know where he stands with things anymore. He's not used to being out of the loop" Juliet winced as the door of Jack's house slammed shut as well. "I'm going to go check on James"

Daniel and Charlotte stayed outside for close to another hour, talking quietly about the progress he made. "So I think…" Daniel trailed off as something else caught his attention. People were leaving their houses carrying guns and meeting by the gazebo.

" Dan" Charlotte gently reminded him to keep talking, but Daniel didn't continue. She looked in the direction he was looking. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"It looks like they're going to attack the Hostiles" Daniel looked to see Charlotte's reaction.

Her face paled somewhat, but she didn't appear significantly bothered. "It's their funeral"

"Char, Jim, Jin, and Miles are all in that group" Daniel told her. He had spotted them rather easily, and he knew that if something happened to one of them she'd regret her comment.

"Are they bloody insane?" Charlotte hissed after the names registered. "They're going to get themselves killed"

"I - -I don't think Alpert will let Jim and Miles be hurt, and if Sayid's with them…or anyone else from our plane, there's a bigger chance that they'll be safe" Daniel thought slowly. Charlotte relaxed until Juliet stormed onto their porch, muttering under her breath.

"James is going to get himself killed" she finally said as she watched the group. ""When I went home, he told me he was going after them. I couldn't change his mind"

"He'll be okay" Daniel tried to reassure Juliet, but she didn't listen.

"I'm going to follow him" Juliet's determination was written all over her face.

Daniel stared at her in shock. "Are you serious? You can't"

"Daniel, I know this jungle better than probably everyone here" Juliet decided. Daniel grabbed her and pulled her into the house, Charlotte following behind.

"No, Juliet. It's - -it's too dangerous" Daniel protested.

"And everything else we've done hasn't been?" Juliet gave him a pointed look, before fear replaced the determination. "You're right. That was a ridiculous idea" she laughed hollowly.

Daniel turned to share a relieved look with Charlotte, but instead watched in horror as she fell to the ground, Juliet standing behind her with a gun. "Charlotte!" he yelled, but she didn't respond or move. He ran to her side, and looked up at Juliet. "Why - -why'd you do that? Juliet?"

"Daniel, I'm sorry. She'll wake up soon" Juliet sighed, and he could see the regret in her eyes. She looked at Charlotte one more time before she disappeared out the door.

"Char, Char. Wake up. Please wake up" Daniel pleaded as he gently turned her onto her back and smoothed the hair away from her face. She showed no signs of waking up, so he sat next to her hoping that what Juliet said was true and that she'd wake up. "Please open your eyes" he whispered.

He didn't know how much time had passed before she finally woke up. He was holding Charlotte's hand and staring at her motionless body when he heard a soft groan. "Char?" he asked hopefully. "Charlotte, I'm right here" he smoothed her hair away again and smiled when she opened her eyes.

"Dan?" Charlotte moved to sit up and she groaned again.

"Here, let me help you" Daniel helped her stand and moved her to the couch.

"What happened?" Charlotte asked as she rubbed the back of her head. "All I remember is talking to you and Juliet, and then I wake up and she's gone"

"She went after the people that were going to attack the Hostiles" Daniel rubbed Charlotte's hand. "She - -she knocked you out the same way you knocked out Kate, and she left"

"Why didn't you go after her?" Charlotte looked at Daniel. "You could've stopped her"

"I was more worried about you" he admitted quietly. "Stopping her wasn't exactly high on my priority list" Daniel could see the anger in Charlotte's eyes about what had happened. "She apologized"

"And that makes it better? She knocked me unconscious!" Charlotte raised her voice. "We have to go after her"

"Char, it's dangerous" Daniel felt he was repeating himself.

"I don't care, Dan. I need to give her a piece of my mind. And I refuse to let the Hostiles kill her" Charlotte stood up and faced him. "Yes, my head hurts but it'll go away. And no, you won't be able to stop me. The only question is, are you coming or will you stay?"

"I'll come" Daniel stood up quickly. They gathered up everything they'd need quickly and were soon out the door.

"How long ago did Juliet leave?" Charlotte asked as they walked, hoping they didn't catch anyone's attention.

"About…" Daniel looked at his watch. "twenty minutes"

"So we've got time" Charlotte mused.

Once they got through the pylons, Daniel looked around. "Now where?"

He heard Charlotte chuckle. "Apparently the Dharma army can't go on a simple trip through the jungle without leaving behind a huge trail"

Daniel turned and saw an area where all the undergrowth was stamped down, and bushes had been pushed to the side. "I'll go first" he decided.

"No way" Charlotte moved in front of him. "We'll go at the same time"

"What are you two doing?" a familiar voice asked. Daniel and Charlotte turned to see Jack, Kate and Hurley. Jack took a step forward and continued. "We saw you leaving the compound, so we followed you"

"Jack" Charlotte glared. "This isn't any of your business, so just go home"

"Not until you tell me what's going on" Jack argued.

"This isn't three years ago and you aren't in charge" Charlotte shot back. "You've been here what? A little over a month? You have no idea what's going on"

"Then maybe you should tell us" Kate became the voice of reason.

"There's no time" Daniel said. He was sorry that he couldn't explain, but he knew they had to find Juliet.

"Then let us come with you and explain on the way" Jack was refusing to give up.

"Now you want to play the hero? You're too late" Charlotte's voice turned deadly calm.

"Char" Daniel moved in front of her to block her view of Jack. "We're wasting more time arguing. We - -we need to catch up to her. Let them come" he put his hands on her shoulders and tucked a piece of red hair behind her ear.

She stayed in the staring contest for half a minute before agreeing. "Fine, but keep quiet"

Daniel quickly deactivated the pylons and allowed everyone to step through. He quickly gave them the shortened version of what was going on. "We're going after Juliet, who went after Jim, who went with a group of people to attack the Hostiles for taking Amy and Ethan"

"Okay" Hurley nodded and then stopped. "What?"

"Keep moving" Daniel said and caught up with Charlotte. He heard Jack explain the situation again to Hurley.

The trail was rather easy to follow, which he was grateful for. He and Charlotte hadn't learned anything about tracking. Soon, they began to hear gunshots, so they moved off the path and into the trees. When they reached the Hostiles camp, it looked like a battlefield. Juliet was crouched on the ground a short distance away, so after Daniel motioned to everyone they dropped to the ground and crept silently over to her.

"What are you doing here?" Juliet whispered when she saw everyone. Charlotte punched her hard in the nose, and Daniel had to admit feeling a sense of satisfaction when he watched it happen.

"That's for knocking me out" Charlotte glared.

"I deserved it" Juliet whispered. In a single look, it appeared they were capable of having an entire conversation. Charlotte's face relaxed and they all turned to watch the gunfight.


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 39

The gunshots weren't exactly easy to ignore, but they were able to have a conversation while everything was happening. The longer they stayed hidden, though, the louder the shots seemed to become. Once Juliet had found Jim in the throng of people, her eyes followed his every move.

Daniel couldn't tear his eyes away from the battle either, and his hand rested comfortably on Charlotte's back. Soon, the bullets began to come closer to them. Daniel pushed Charlotte to the ground quickly when he noticed that, and a bullet flew past where her head had just been. "We've got to get out of here" Daniel said to her, and she nodded.

"Juliet" Charlotte called. Neither of them were worried about staying quiet. No one would notice their presence. "Juliet, we've got to leave"

"Why can't we help?" Kate argued as she ducked to avoid another stray bullet.

"Because we're not supposed to be here" Daniel turned and glared at her. "Can't you understand that?"

"We're not supposed to be in this time" Jack groaned as he pushed Kate back to the ground. "Can't you stay down?"

"We don't have time to argue about this. You're either leaving willingly or we'll make you" Charlotte threatened.

"I don't want to get on her bad side. Let's go" Hurley began so slide on the ground away from the fight.

Daniel pulled Juliet's arm to get her attention, and she shook her head. "I'm not leaving until this is over" she argued.

"Juliet, you can't help by staying here. You'll just end up torturing yourself" Charlotte told her, but Juliet shook her head. Charlotte looked back at the rest of the group, who had all hesitated to see what would happen. "Get out of here. We'll catch up" A bullet struck the tree next to Juliet, and she barely flinched.

"Char…" Daniel's heart sunk at her words. He didn't want to leave without her, but he couldn't voice his thoughts. Instead, he reached out and touched her face before his hand traveled to her shoulder and down her arm.

"Dan, I promise. We'll be right behind you" Charlotte reassured him. For a moment, everything around them seemed to disappear before anther bullet brought him back to reality. He nodded resignedly and gestured for everyone else to go before he followed.

They didn't stop moving until they were safely away from the fight, and then Daniel stopped them. "We - -we're going to wait here"

Jack and Kate moved away from him and Hurley, but he didn't really care. His eyes stayed focused on the way they just came.

"They'll be fine" Hurley said to him.

"Huh?" Daniel was a bit startled that Hurley had spoken.

"Juliet and Charlotte. Juliet's an Other, and Charlotte fought her, didn't she?" Hurley said as if he was pointing out the obvious and sat down.

"She didn't win, though. Juliet had a gun on her" Daniel shook his head at the memory.

"She survived. Those Others, I wouldn't want to fight one of them" Hurley didn't say anything else, and soon after Charlotte and Juliet appeared.

Charlotte's face brightened as soon as she saw Daniel, and she ran into his arms. "What happened?" he whispered.

"I'll tell you later" she promised.

"Dudes" Hurley interrupted. "Sorry, but there's a problem over there"

Daniel turned to see Kate and Jack in the middle of a heated argument. He released Charlotte and moved a few steps closer. "What's wrong?" Daniel studied them closely and Charlotte moved to circle them.

Daniel watched the scene unfold with a hint of amusement. Jack and Kate were watching her warily. "Whatever it is, can it wait?" Charlotte asked as she stopped directly in front of them. "People are shooting each other back there, and you two decide to have an argument?" she said forcefully. Jack had the decency to appear a bit ashamed, but Kate remained impassive. "Whatever it is, can it wait?"

The two exchanged glances, and Daniel took it as a yes. "Okay, we can't stop anymore. We don't want anyone seeing us out of the compound" he announced and set off with Charlotte and Juliet.

"Are you coming or not?" Charlotte called out without glancing behind her, and Daniel quickly heard footsteps hurrying to catch up with them.

"Good tactic" Daniel said quietly.

"Thanks" Charlotte glanced up at him. Her face was devoid of any expression, but he could see a hint of amusement still in her eyes. "I've wanted to do something like that since I first met them. You always stopped me before I could, though"

"And it was a good thing I did" Daniel looked straight ahead. "They weren't too accepting of us to begin with. If you had told off their…leaders more than you had…" he trailed off as a dog appeared in front of them. "Vincent?"

"How'd he get through the fence?" Charlotte bent down to ruffle his fur.

"You found the dog, but you haven't found anyone else" Jack said in disbelief.

"We told you we had" Charlotte stood and turned in one movement.

"I thought you were being sarcastic" Jack replied.

"Doctor" Charlotte stated with obvious sarcasm. "When I'm being sarcastic, you'll know. When any of us are sarcastic, you'll know. I'm not happy with you right now to begin with, and you don't want to give me another reason to be pissed off" she glared at him.

Juliet stepped in. "Jack, I know you're thinking that if you had been here, we would've found them. You don't think we looked hard enough. We have searched every part of this Island we can think of, and we can't find them. James, Miles, and Jin searched for them daily for two months, and they still haven't given up. James keeps devising new plans to find them. So far, none of them have turned up anything, but that's how we know they're alive. If they were dead, we would've found their bodies"

Vincent whined. "Let's just go" Daniel sighed. Things were becoming extremely complicated. "It's almost dark, and we don't want to be in here at night"

"How much longer?" Hurley wondered when they started walking.

"Fifteen minutes at the most. Not long" Juliet's voice was much warmer than it was earlier.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence, and they managed to get back onto the compound without attracting notice.

When they were comfortably back in their houses, Charlotte sighed. "I hope no one we know was hurt. People were dropping pretty fast"

"I guess we have to wait until they come back. When we left, Jim, Miles, and Jin were still fighting, which was good" Daniel pulled Charlotte onto the couch next to him and they leaned into each other.

"I know you want to know what I told Juliet to get her to come with us" Charlotte said unexpectedly. Daniel didn't say anything and waited for her to continue. "I said that I understood why she went after him. I know that if you were out there, I would've gone after you, but that once I got there, I would've gone crazy not being able to help you"

"And that made her leave?" Daniel didn't understand how that had gotten through to her.

"Yeah. She knew that she wouldn't be able to help, and seeing everything would make it harder for her" Charlotte explained.

"That…makes no sense" Daniel sighed. "If you had…you know, I wouldn't have been able to leave, even though I wouldn't be able to stop it. It would've killed me…"

"That's exactly why she left" Charlotte interrupted.

Daniel tilted his head so he could look at her better. "I still don't get it"

She laughed. "I'm not expecting you too"

"I'm not used to not understanding things" he felt a little dumbfounded at the fact that he couldn't wrap his mind around Charlotte and Juliet's way of thinking.

"Welcome to my world" Charlotte reached up to play with his hair. "Not understanding things isn't always bad, though" They sat in a comfortable silence. "Chang was there"

"Where?" Daniel sometimes couldn't keep up with her train of thought.

"At the fight. He got shot in his arm, and it was bleeding pretty bad" Charlotte said slowly as if she was trying to remember the details.

"He was fighting?" Daniel appeared surprised. "I thought he'd stay here"

"I don't understand why he was there, but he was" Charlotte sighed. "I'm really tired. We haven't walked that far since we ended up here"

Daniel yawned, feeling the exhaustion creep up on him. "I agree" Neither of them made any effort to move.

Daniel stirred when he felt something hit his face. He opened his eyes and jumped when he saw Miles standing in front of him. "Glad to see you awake. You know, you should lock your door"

Daniel glanced at Charlotte and saw she was sound asleep. "What are you doing here at…?" He strained to look at the clock.

"3:30" Miles said before Daniel could read the time. "Why'd the two of you fall asleep on the couch?"

"We were…" Daniels started before he stopped himself. "Why are you here?"

"Figured you'd want to know how the fight went" Miles sat down in the chair next to the couch.

Charlotte stirred, and Daniel stroked her hair, hoping to get her back into a deep sleep. He breathed a sigh of relief when she settled back into his arms. "You better hope Charlotte doesn't wake up. She'll want to kill you for showing up at this time"

"She doesn't scare me. Ever since she married you, she's gone a bit soft" Miles smirked.

Daniel smiled a bit. "If she went soft, why'd she punch Juliet today?"

Miles eyed Charlotte a bit apprehensively. "Why'd she punch her?"

"What happened?" Daniel countered.

"We lost a fair amount of people, but the Hostiles lost more" Miles decided to get serious. "Chang's arm got pretty messed up. The doctor thinks they might have to cut it off. We couldn't find Amy or Ethan, and I think Horace's about ready to lose it"

"Lost it how?" Daniel asked, but he thought he understood.

"He's been drinking" Miles glanced out the window. "Last night Phil and Jerry caught him drinking by the pylons and blowing things up"

"Well, his wife's gone. It's understandable that he'd react that way" Daniel said softly,

"I doubt you'd go that nuts if something happened to Charlotte" Miles defended his idea that Horace was going crazy.

Daniel remembered Charlotte saying how he made her younger self terrified, and also remembered his mother telling him about the desperation in the man's eyes that gave her the journal. He could also tell from what was written in the journal that he wasn't quite right after her death. "I think I would. I - -I probably wouldn't be acting like him, but I wouldn't take it well"

Miles looked at Daniel searchingly. "Well, I should get going. LaFleur told me I still had to show up"

As soon as he left, Charlotte opened her eyes. "How long were you up?" Daniel was shocked she actually acted like she was sleeping.

"The pillow he threw woke me up too" Charlotte sat up and stretched. "Want to head to bed? If we sleep on here any longer we'll be pretty sore in the morning"

Daniel nodded and followed him to their room, happy she didn't press him on the last thing he said to Miles.

.


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

Chapter 40

After the major gunfight between Dharma and the Hostiles, there were minor skirmishes but nothing extremely life-threatening occurred. Still, no one relaxed. Every adult in the compound owned a gun, and they all knew how to shoot. Daniel, at Charlotte's insistence, kept his gun with him at all times and after a few weeks of this wearing it was almost second nature. Jack and Kate had finally gotten used to not knowing what was going on, and it was rare that one of them would pound on either Daniel's or LaFleur's door, demanding explanations.

Charlotte was busier than ever in the Arrow. She would come home exhausted, and she would always tell Daniel what she viewed on the monitors. They were trying to get her to begin developing defensive strategies as well, but she kept refusing. Daniel and Johnny were working harder on trying to figure out a safe way to time travel, but they kept hitting road blocks. They were able to work through all of them, but it slowed them down significantly. Still, it was almost done. He wanted to get away as soon as possible, mainly because he had a feeling something big was going to happen soon.

Daniel was working with Johnny when a harried voice caught his attention. "You can't be down here. If you just go back upstairs, I'll get whoever you want" the woman pleaded.

"I don't care about your bloody protocol. If you don't want me down here, you're going to have to shoot me" Charlotte's voice carried through the room, and quickly came through the door with a new Orchid worker following behind her. She looked frightened, which worried Daniel. "Dan" she called when she caught sight of him.

He knew she needed to talk to him, so he quickly packed up his stuff. "I'll be back" he told Johnny.

"Is that your wife?" Johnny asked, but Daniel ignored him.

"Char" he said gently when he reached her. "What's wrong?"

"Not here" she shook her head and caught a glimpse of everyone staring at her. "Show's over. Go back to work" Everyone quickly resumed what they were doing while Charlotte and Daniel hurried to the elevator and out of the Orchid.

"Can we talk now?" Daniel asked once the left the greenhouse. "How'd you get here?" He noticed there wasn't an extra van outside of the station.

"I ran" Charlotte kept walking, and he noticed her book bag for the first time. Whatever was happening, it was enough to make Charlotte pack a bag, probably full of supplies.

Daniel grabbed her arm to stop her. "Look, let's take one of the vans. It'll be quicker"

"No" Charlotte disagreed. "Dan, the Hostiles, they're coming near the compound. If we're in a van, we'll be easier targets. If we're on foot, we can hide easier"

"They're coming now?" Daniel's eyes went wide.

"Yes, now. With guns. I call Jim, and he said for me to get you and hide. He said to go to the caves, and that he was sending Juliet, Kate, Jack, and Hurley there, too" Charlotte began to walk again. "Now let's get moving"

"What about Jim, Jin, and Miles?" Daniel asked as he hurried after her.

"They're security" Charlotte pointed out. "If they leave, it'll be noticeable" Daniel didn't replay, and the two moved quickly and almost silently through the trees. They didn't speak unless they needed to. They mainly communicated with hand gestures and facial expressions. They left the compound where they knew there were no cameras and they tried to put as much distance between them and the compound as possible. Every noise made Daniel look around frantically, and he was glad he took his bag when he left with Charlotte. He'd be able to keep working while they were at the caves.

He was startled when Charlotte pushed him behind a large tree before she crouched down next to him. She looked at him, silently telling him to stay quiet before looking back where they were just standing. The Hostiles soon began to walk past, all speaking in Latin. At the end of the line was Richard Alpert, and he paused and looked straight at the tree they were peering around. He saw them, yet he didn't tell anyone with him. He nodded at the two almost imperceptibly before continuing on his way.

Once they were sure the Hostiles were far enough away, they took off running through the jungle and didn't stop until they reached a stream. Daniel sat on a rock and watched as Charlotte splashed water onto her face. "What were they saying? The Hostiles"

"They were talking about how it was time to repay Dharma for the greeting they were given when they visited their camp" Charlotte straightened and sat down in front of Daniel, and he leaned over to rub her shoulders. "Thanks, Dan. They were also talking about Amy and Ethan. They definitely have them"

Daniel rubbed her shoulders a few more times and kissed her neck before standing up. "Let's keep moving. We don't want to - -to worry everyone at the caves" Charlotte stood up as well and grabbed her bag. "Do you think Juliet will be there?"

Charlotte allowed a small smile to appear on her face. "If she is, she's going to be giving Jack and Kate hell"

"We don't want to miss the show, then" Daniel replied, and the two set off. The caves weren't too far from the stream they had found, and they arrived after ten more minutes of travel.

Daniel was impressed by the structure of the caves, and he wondered why the 815 survivors stayed on the beach. There was a water source, and inside they were protected from the elements. "Hello?" Charlotte called softly, and Juliet emerged from the shadows followed by Jack, Kate, and Hurley.

"Thank God. I was starting to think the Hostiles caught you" Juliet exclaimed when she saw them.

"If they did, we could probably convince Alpert to let us go" Charlotte quipped as she set down her bag and opened it. "I brought some more food and water. Jim said we should stay here until he contacts one of us. I don't have my walkie, though. I lost it when I was running to get Dan"

"I've got one" Juliet indicated hers. "And I brought some food, too. So did they"

"Am I the only one unprepared?" Daniel asked as he sat down.

"The only reason I have supplies is cause I stopped at our house on the way to get you" Charlotte told Daniel.

He stood back up and began exploring the caves further. He knew the sun would be setting within the next few hours, but they had no reason to worry. The group had already started a fire. "Why didn't you guys stay here?"

"Excuse me?" Jack asked from his position next to Kate.

"Why'd you stay on the beach? You - - you probably would've been more comfortable in here" Daniel clarified. He turned to look at Jack, but didn't rejoin everyone.

"A group of us did stay in here, but too much happened. One of them caved in, and then later on we found the Swan, and we used that place for water and protection" Jack explained. Daniel half listened, and began moving around the caves again.

Everyone else fell into a different discussion, and Daniel half listened as he poked around. He caught sight of something that didn't look like rock and moved a bit closer, before he immediately jumped backwards again."What is that?!" he exclaimed and jumped backwards.

Hurley craned his neck to see where Daniel was looking. "Oh, that's just Adam and Eve"

"Adam and Eve?" Charlotte stood up and walked over to Daniel to see the skeletons better.

"Locke named them that, and it stuck. We found them here after we crashed, so we shouldn't do anything with them now" Jack took a drink of water.

Daniel tilted his head and looked at the bodies more closely before backing away. "That's… very strange"

Charlotte smiled before moving back to the fire where the rest of the group was. Further in one of the caves, Daniel found a black and white stone. As he looked at the stones, he got an idea. He wanted to give whoever first found the bodies from 815 something to obsess over. He searched through his book bag before he pulled out a small bag and he quickly slipped the stones inside. He slowly slipped the bag onto one of the bodies before backing away, and he felt pleased with himself because no one caught him.

That night, the six slept fitfully. Daniel was waiting for Jim's call, and he knew Juliet was as well. Still, they heard nothing from him until evening of the next day.

"James" Juliet smiled in relief as she hugged him tightly. Jin and Miles were right behind him. "Can we go back?"

"No" he shook his head angrily. "I wanted to make sure you were all safe, and I messed things up"

"What do you mean?" Charlotte asked as the rest stood up.

"I overheard Phil talkin' to Horace. He told him that there was no sign of you guys, and that no one had seen me and those two for awhile either" Jim began to pace around the caves, and Daniel noticed they were all carrying bags as well. "Phil told him he thinks we were workin' with the Hostiles, all of us. If we go back, they're gonna throw us all in jail"

"We have to go back" Daniel said once he remembered something. "We have to talk to Chang"

"Why do you want to go back, genius? LaFleur just said that if we go back, we're screwed" Miles stared at Daniel like he was insane.

"In my - -my journal. It said that we met with Chang and told him what was going to happen to Dharma. It was me and you that went, Miles" Daniel looked him straight in the eye.

"If you're going, I'm going to" Charlotte decided.

"Fine, but we're all going" Jim decided. "If we're all gonna die, let's stick together. Live together, die alone. Right Doc?"

The rest of the day was spent planning, and Daniel was writing furiously in his notebook. He was so close to figuring it out, and there were just a few more kinks. When they set off, Daniel had been in the caves for three days. They traveled quickly and silently, and made it to the compound just as the sun rose. They crept behind the houses and reached Chang's house without anyone noticing them.

Daniel knocked on the door, and Chang answered almost immediately. "What are you doing here? Do you realize everyone thinks you're working with the Hostiles?" He glanced down and noticed Chang's missing arm.

"We know" Daniel said. "But we need to tell you something important. You - -you need to know what's going to happen, even if you can't stop it"

"Why are we all standing out here when everyone wants to kill us? Let us in" Miles decided and he pushed past Chang inside.

Soon, everyone was situated in the living room, while his wife and son were in another part of the house. "Dr. Chang" Daniel started. "We didn't get here exactly the way you told us"

"What do you mean?" the man looked off balance.

Daniel sighed and with help, managed to tell the whole story of what happened to them. How Oceanic 815 crashed on the Island, the Kahana explosion, and everything in between. When they began to explain about Juliet, Chang interrupted.

"Even if I do believe you, how did the Hostiles gain control of our resources?"

"Because you'll all be dead" Charlotte said bluntly.

"Char, could you have phrased it any better?" Daniel sounded slightly exasperated.

"No matter how it's said, it means the same thing" Charlotte told him.

"But still…" Daniel trailed off and directed his attention back towards Chang. "The Hostiles attacked, something called the Purge. We're not sure of the details, but it killed every member of the Dharma Initiative still on this Island"

"So you're telling me that you're from the future, and none of you were on the Island before you were brought here" Chang was trying to wrap his mind around what was happening.

"Not exactly" Charlotte smirked. "I was born here, in 1979. My parents are James and Jeanette Staples"

Daniel thoroughly enjoyed Chang's reaction. His eyes went wide, and he stared at Charlotte in disbelief. "You do look a lot like them, but I just thought it was a coincidence"

"I think Miles was here before, too. He just…doesn't remember it" Daniel said and ignored the glare Miles shot him. "As I'm sure you know, there are side-effects to time travel. The more exposure you've had to the Island, the earlier you experience them. Miles was the first one to get them"

"Tell me about your time" Chang decided. "I want to know everything"

Soon, everyone was telling him random facts about the time they had taken for granted, and slowly Chang began to believe them. "What should I do?"

"First, get your wife and son off the Island as fast as possible if you want them to survive" Daniel expressed the urgency of the situation. "After, do…whatever else you think you should"

Chang rifled through some papers on his desk, and quickly filled out the form to get his wife and son immediate transportation off the Island. "I'll tell them tomorrow" Chang told the group. "Now, I want to try something. The Dharma Initiative must be reinstated, and I think I have a way to broadcast information into the future" Everyone exchanged wary glances, but no one left.

That night, filming began. Daniel was standing behind the camera ready to start filming, while everyone else was watching. He was waiting for Chang to attach his prosthetic arm, and it looked remarkably real. "Are you ready?" he asked once Chang turned around.

"Start filming" Chang instructed.

"Ok. Umm…Action" Daniel called out and he turned on the camera.

Chang walked over to the couch and sat down. "Hello, my name is Dr. Marvin Candle and I…you know what? Forget it" Daniel exchanged glances with Charlotte. He had no idea why they were even doing this. "No point in games anymore, right? If you're watching this, you already know my name is Pierre Chang and I…" In another room, Chang's toddler-aged son was arguing with his mother, and was getting extremely loud.

Agitated, Chang stood up and walked out of the camera's range. As he yelled at his wife, Daniel glanced at Charlotte, who mouthed 'Keep it on'.

Once Chang sat back down, he continued. "I'm a professor of theoretical astrophysics from Ann Arbor, Michigan" Daniel stopped listening and he had a silent conversation with Charlotte, as they were both surprised that he was an astrophysicist. Daniel directed his attention to Chang when he glanced at his left arm. "This information has come to me from a source that has proved himself credible"

Daniel was becoming annoyed. He didn't need to reveal them. "None of that matters. It doesn't matter. Just get to it. Please"

Chang adhered to Daniel's words, and he moved on. Miles muttered "About time. He must like to hear himself talk"

Jin grabbed Miles' shoulder and shook his head. Chang began to plead with whoever was watching. "Please, please! You have to stop what's about to happen. You can't let us…"

Miles pulled away from Jin and interrupted. "Pierre! This is useless, all right? It's useless. They're never going to see this, Pierre"

Jim thought the same thing. "How do I turn this off? Where's the…?"

"LaFleur! What are you doing?" Chang yelled, and Jim smirked.

"I turned it off" Jim answered as he walked over to Juliet.

"Why?" Chang demanded, but Jim didn't answer.

"Dr. Chang, just get your wife and son off the Island. That's all you can do" Daniel said sympathetically to him, and the large group left his house and snuck out of the compound successfully.


	41. Chapter 41

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

A/N: Sorry, I've been really busy with school. And sorry it's so short.

Chapter 41

As the group crept back to the caves, a movement caught Daniel's eye and he stopped and looked around. Whoever or whatever was there, chances are it wasn't going to be on their side. He cautiously began to move off the makeshift path, and someone pulled him back quickly.

"Dan, what are you doing?" Without even looking, he could tell Charlotte was worried about his actions.

He turned and saw Charlotte standing in front of him and everyone else further ahead. "I thought I saw something, is all" he answered vaguely.

"Was it a Hostile, or someone from Dharma?" Charlotte's voice didn't betray her emotions, but he could still hear a hint of apprehension in her words.

"I don't know. Whoever it was, they're gone now" Daniel glanced back at the trees, seeing nothing.

"We should keep moving" Jack said, but his voice lacked the conviction it had when Daniel first came to the Island.

"Where we gonna go to, Doc?" Jim asked as he walked towards Daniel and Charlotte. "We should look for the person Daniel saw and find out who they are"

"Why?" Kate asked. "Shouldn't we go back to the caves?"

"If they're Dharma, do you really want them going back and telling everyone where they saw us?" Charlotte argued. "Kate, Dharma thinks we're working with the Hostiles, which means they'll kill us if they catch us"

"Char…" Daniel muttered and held her close to him, preventing her from advancing towards Kate.

"Let's stop arguing and listen to LaFleur" Miles decided. "If they're Dharma, we can figure out something to do with them. If they're Hostiles, maybe we can get them on our side"

"About that, when we took Ben to the Hostiles it seemed like you and that guy knew each other" Kate addressed Jim.

"We do, somewhat. I talked to him when we first got here, and those three met him when we were jumping through time" Jim gestured to Daniel, Charlotte, and Miles.

"Hey, guys, if we want to find whoever was there, we should get moving" Daniel knew that if the person he saw was a Hostile, they were long gone. He didn't wait for the rest of the group, and he walked towards the trees where he saw the person last, Charlotte walking right next to him.

Kate pushed in front of them. "I know how to track. We can find them better that way"

"I know how to track too" Juliet moved next to her. "And I'm sure I have more experience with it"

Kate studied Juliet for a moment before stepping back, allowing the blonde woman to take the lead. Charlotte and Daniel exchanged glances before falling behind the rest of the group. He was feeling a bit unsure, because he had no idea what they would find, or even if he saw anyone.

As they moved through the woods, Daniel overheard Hurley talking to Miles. "Dude, what was up with you and that Chang guy? You were glaring at him practically the entire time we were there"

"If I tell you, will you shut up?" Miles sounded annoyed, and Daniel noticed it was the same tone of voice he had when he used to speak to him. Hurley nodded, and Miles rolled his eyes. "He's my dad, all right?"

"Your dad?" Daniel moved quickly to walk next to Miles. "I knew you were on the Island before, but…"

"What a group, two Dharma kids and the son of a Hostile. Widmore sure knew how to pick them" Charlotte said dryly before she froze.

Daniel watched as she looked around quickly, and he followed her lead. "Guys, quiet" he hissed, and everyone fell silent and watched Daniel and Charlotte's actions. "I - -I think I hear something" Daniel whispered. While looking, he had heard rustling near him.

Jack, Kate, and Hurley moved closer together while Jim, Juliet, Jin, and Miles all fanned out and looked carefully around them. As the rustling became louder, Daniel moved closer to Charlotte instinctively. He pulled his gun out, and he noticed that Charlotte had done the same. Their guns were trained on the area where the rustling was coming, and a man stumbled from behind the bushes.

As he stood, Daniel noticed that everyone else with guns had them trained on the man as well. When Daniel saw the man's face, he blinked in surprise a couple times before lowering the gun. "Sayid" he half groaned. "We almost shot you"

"What are you doing out here? Is Dharma still after me?" Sayid asked as he took in the guns in everyone's hands.

"No, they're after us" Charlotte told him as she lowered her gun, glancing around as she did so. "They think we're working with the Hostiles, since we weren't around when they attacked"

"We were hiding in the caves, but Miles, Jin, and Jim were still there" Daniel clarified, seeing Sayid's confused expression.

"Then couldn't they stand up for you?" Sayid asked. "And can you please put away your guns?"

"We couldn't because of what happened with you and Ben" Jim practically growled, his gun still trained on Sayid. "I have half a mind to shoot you right here"

"James" Juliet put her hand on his arm and forced him to lower it. "We're all in hiding now, there's no point in turning against each other"

"But he already turned against us" Jack protested.

"You did as well, when you refused to help Ben" Charlotte glared at him. "We might not be able to get back to our time now, because what got us here in the first place is the Dharma Initiative" She slowly advanced towards him. "You're the reason we're running now"

"Charlotte" Jin stopped her, and spoke quickly in Korean. She listened, before glaring at Jack once more before backing away.

"What'd he say?" Daniel whispered when she returned next to him.

"It's not important" Charlotte whispered back. "Focus on what's happening now"

Daniel knew she was right, but he really wanted to know what Jin had told her. "You know, I really hate it when the two of you talk in Korean" he whispered before directing his attention back to what was taking place. He quickly glanced at Charlotte and saw a small smirk on her face. He took his hand in hers, and the two moved next to Juliet.

"Look, let's just…go back to the caves" Daniel jumped in. "I'm really close to a breakthrough, and if I get this right, I'll have a way to get us back"

"What about sneaking back on the compound, genius? I doubt we'll be able to do it again" Miles pointed out the obvious flaw in Daniel's plan.

"You're Chang's son, I'm sure if you just tell him…" Hurley suggested.

Miles spun around quickly. "He doesn't care. And it won't fix anything anyway"

"Wait, so three of you have grown up on the Island?" Kate wondered.

"Not exactly" Daniel's eyes darted nervously. "Charlotte and Miles were here, but…I wasn't" he glanced up to register surprised looks from the people surrounding him.

"What are you talking about?" Juliet eyed him curiously.

"My mother was…here in the 50s. She was a - -a Hostile. She was the one who captured me, Charlotte and Miles" Daniel looked at Jim and Juliet, gauging their reactions.

"That blonde chick with the gun?" Jim's eyes widened slightly.

Daniel nodded. "We should probably head back to the caves. Where have you been staying, Sayid?"

"Nowhere in particular" Sayid answered. "I've been avoiding the Others and Dharma"

"You can stay with us" Juliet offered. "We've been staying in the caves since we left"

"Thank you" Sayid answered gratefully. The group set off through the woods.

In the caves, Charlotte and Daniel sat close to the wall of the cave, but he was close enough to the fire that he could see. He wrote furiously, and Charlotte sat comfortably next to him. "You know, they've been watching us since we've come back" she broke the silence after awhile.

"Who?" Daniel murmured,

"Take your pick" Charlotte answered. "It feels like it did before, that they don't trust us"

Daniel looked over at the main group and watched Jack and Kate look away quickly. "Is it just Jack and Kate?"

"Mostly, but everyone's looked over at least once" Charlotte sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Jack, Kate, and Hurley trust us the least out of everyone, because…they left. They haven't spent the last three years with us. Everyone else, they know I didn't tell them because I - -I didn't think it was important" Daniel paused for a moment, and saw Charlotte was listening intently. "The rest, they're curious. That's all"

"When'd you get so good at reading people?" Charlotte joked slightly.

"I had a good teacher" Daniel smiled and kissed her quickly before returning to his work. He became completely absorbed in his equations, barely registering how much time was passing. Some people at the fire were practically asleep when Daniel froze, pen in hand. "I've got it" He turned to Charlotte and woke her up. "Char, I figured it out. I - -I know how we can get back safely" Daniel's voice became louder as what he had done registered.

Charlotte blinked groggily. "Are you sure?" she asked as she pulled herself into a sitting position.

"Positive. Now, we just need to figure out a way to get into the Orchid" Daniel smiled.

"Should we tell everyone?" Charlotte gestured towards the fire.

Daniel looked over as well. "I think it can wait until morning"

Charlotte nodded, and she formed a makeshift bed on the ground. Daniel put away his notebook and they settled into the blankets. Charlotte fell asleep immediately, but he remained awake, just watching her sleep. A noise outside the caves caught his attention, and he pulled Charlotte closer to him, intending to protect her from whatever was near them.

He refused to look at the entrance, but a shocked gasp echoed through the caves. "Oh my God. Bernard? Rose?"

Daniel's head spun to look, and Bernard and Rose were standing in front of them, staring at the group in surprise. "We thought you were dead" Rose told them.

Daniel began to shake Charlotte gently, trying not to startle her but knowing she should see this. "Dan, what is it now?" she groaned.

"It's Bernard and Rose. They're here" he answered, and she sat up immediately.

"Does this mean we're actually going to go back? Claire said they'd show up when it was time for us to leave, right?" Charlotte asked quickly and quietly.

"I - -I guess" Daniel answered.

"Where have you been?" Jin asked as he became aware of what was happening.

"We spent some time here and decided to go back to the beach after awhile" Bernard answered. "Where have you been?"

"With Dharma" Miles yawned. "Jim managed to sweet talk them into letting us join"

"Jim?" Rose asked.

"Sawyer" a chorus of voices rang out.

"I think we all have a lot to talk about" Jim stood. "Looks like sleep can wait"


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

A/N: There's only going to be one or two more chapters.

Chapter 42

It took until noon the next day for everyone to explain what had happened to them. That's when Daniel revealed that he had figured out a way to return them to their proper time. Everyone was surprised at first, but then they began to work out a plan for them to sneak into the Orchid undetected.

Daniel didn't extensively participate in the planning. Instead, he kept going over his calculations, perfecting them the best he could. He wasn't about to risk anything going wrong, because if anything happened that shouldn't have, Charlotte's life would be in danger.

Charlotte didn't help much, either. Instead, she kept him company. She would pry the notebook out of his hands whenever she felt he was obsessing over it. More than once, Jim and Jack would argue about the best way they should enter the compound. Kate would almost always side with Jack, while Juliet was always on Jim's side. Bernard would disagree with them as well, but he was willing to compromise his plans to fit the other's ideas. Jin, Miles, and Rose mainly acted as peacekeepers, while Sayid sat of to the side and watched.

After a week passed and many arguments took place, they soon had a plan. It wasn't foolproof, but there was no way it could be. Sneaking into the Orchid undetected was extremely risky. There was one problem. Their plan depended on cooperation with the Hostiles, and Daniel had no idea if Alpert would help them or not.

After the plan was formed, Jim and Juliet set out to find Alpert to ask for his help, and Jim insisted that everyone else stay behind.

"Dan, let's take a walk" Charlotte suggested as she gently took the notebook away from him.

"Where would we go?" Daniel asked as he stood up and brushed off his pants.

"The beach" Charlotte leaned into him, and he wrapped an arm around her waist. "We haven't been there in a while"

"Three years is longer than 'a while'" Daniel replied, but they walked to the cave entrance.

"Where are you going?" Sayid asked from the shadows.

"For a walk" Charlotte offered freely.

"Where to?" Bernard asked and Daniel saw a hint of suspicion on his face.

"Bernard" Jin interjected. "We trust them. They won't betray us"

Bernard had the decency to look ashamed, but that might have also been because of the look Rose gave him. Daniel watched with amusement, and he knew Charlotte was smirking.

"We'll be back before dark" Daniel reassured them.

"Dudes, be careful. Dharma kinda wants to kill us now" Hurley told them.

"We will" Daniel nodded, and the two left. They walked to the beach in a comfortable silence, and when they arrived they immediately walked towards where their camp would be located in the future.

"Hard to believe anyone could live comfortably and happily here" Charlotte said while looking around. "It almost doesn't look right without the camp here"

"That's just because that's how we first saw it" Daniel said as he looked around. "If we had seen this place like this first, we'd think it'd look weird with the camp"

Charlotte didn't reply. Instead, she walked to ocean, took off her shoes and socks, and stood in the water. Daniel followed her lead and they stared at the horizon. "What's going to happen, when we get back to our time?" she asked finally.

"I'll calculate a new bearing, and we'll find a way to sail off this Island. Maybe we can even use the canoes" Daniel joked.

"Getting shot at was pretty fun last time" Charlotte laughed. "I've been wanting to do it again"

Daniel smiled happily. He loved hearing her laugh. "Seriously, Jack and the rest got back her on a plane. If it's on the Island in one piece, maybe we could…fix it up and fly out on the new bearing. If we have a pilot. If not, we could tear it apart and use it to make rafts"

"And risk getting shot at?" Charlotte smirked.

"No, no. We could probably convince them to work with us" Daniel said confidently.

"Probably easier than getting the Hostiles to help us" Charlotte voiced her concern. "I don't think they will. They've already helped us enough"

"I guess we'll have to wait and see" Daniel shrugged.

Daniel and Charlotte returned to the caves right at sunset, just as he told them. Jim and Juliet were already there, and as they entered Miles jumped up. "Finally. They wouldn't tell us what happened until you came back"

"We're back now, so shut up so they can talk" Charlotte told Miles as she walked to the water bottles and tossed one to Daniel.

"Okay, at first they refused to help. Alpert said they helped us enough, but I pulled the whole 'I kept Horace from killing you card', and he agreed. He said they'll attack Dharma in two days an hour after sunset. He'll be coming here to get us before they attack. That way, we can get into position and get in as soon as we're sure no one's around" Jim told them.

Daniel studied him carefully. "Something else happened"

"What are you talking about?" Juliet asked as she shifted closer to Jim.

"Spill" Charlotte demanded.

Jim wavered under her gaze. "We saw Amy and Ethan"

"And?" Charlotte pushed.

"Amy…she was a Hostile the whole time. She was spying on Dharma for them" Juliet fumed. "She and Ben were the traitors, not us, yet we're the ones being hunted"

"Juliet" Jim said softly, and she relaxed slightly. "Daniel, Charlotte" Jim directed his attention towards them. "I don't the two of you running off anymore. We just missed Dharma security in the jungle. It's too dangerous"

"We gathered more fruit, so there's no chance we'll run out before we put our plan into action" Juliet added. "No one us has any reason to leave"

For the next two days, no one left the caves. People were getting on edge, and tempers were running high. Since no one left, they couldn't have time alone, so things that would be minor problems in any other situations sparked arguments. Hurley was trying to act as the lone peacekeeper, but things didn't work out well.

Daniel tried to stay out of everyone's way. It was reminding him too much of when he first arrived on the Island. At least this time, the tension wasn't because of him or Charlotte. He mainly passed time by playing various card games with Charlotte, mainly because she had forbidden him from rechecking his calculations. She kept his notebook in her bag, and he knew to not go through it.

The day of the planned attack, Daniel had lost his temper with his companions. Jack and Kate were fighting, and Daniel couldn't take it anymore. "Enough" he shouted, causing everyone to stare at him. "I've had it. We - -we need to be working together, not fighting" He took a breath before continuing. "You guys are acting like kids, so just…stop it!" He paused to calm himself down.

"Is this a bad time?" A voice rang from the entrance.

Daniel looked up and saw Richard Alpert. "No, not at all"

Alpert nodded. "Are you ready?"

"Yes" Jim nodded. "Everyone, grab your bags. If this works, we want them with us"

They gathered their bags quickly, as they had packed them earlier that day. They filed out one by one, and Daniel noticed Amy carrying Ethan in a makeshift baby carrier. "Daniel" she stopped him as he passed. "I'm sorry for deceiving you, all of you, but…"

"Get away from my husband" Charlotte nearly growled as she grabbed his arm and led him away.

"Char" Daniel sighed. "What was that?"

"I didn't want her anywhere near you, especially after the fact that she lied to us for three years" Charlotte glanced back and glared at Amy.

"We lied to her" Daniel pointed out.

"Because of necessity, and we weren't passing along information to anyone else" Charlotte reasoned. Daniel couldn't argue with her on that point.

Alpert led them to the Orchid and showed them where to hide. "When the alarms go off, immediately turn off the pylons and go in. Wait five minutes, then enter the Orchid. Everyone will be gone by then" They all nodded their understanding. "Good luck" Alpert told the group before the Hostiles faded into the darkness.

True to his word, Alpert set off the alarms and Jim quickly disabled the fence. "Son of a bitch. I can't believe they didn't change the code"

Daniel considered his words. "They think Amy's a captive. They probably think that if she escapes, they should keep the code the same so - -so she can get back in"

"Makes sense" Juliet told him.

They entered the Orchid silently. In case someone was still there, they didn't want to draw any attention to themselves. On the upper level, no one was there. They reached the elevator with ease and took it down into the main level of the station. They crept through cautiously until they reached the door with of the main lab.

Daniel pushed ahead and opened the door. Everyone filed in behind him and they all stopped simultaneously. "Daniel? What the hell are you doing here?"

"James" Daniel groaned. "You - -you shouldn't be here"

"Where else would I be? I'm not trained to fight, and my family's gone thanks to your friends" James glared.

"They're not our friends" Charlotte defended Daniel. "We're not working with them"

"Then why'd you disappear? And why do you have a Hostile with you?" James accused.

Daniel sighed. "Look…I'll explain everything. Just, sit down"

"We don't have time, Faraday" Jim whispered.

"We need to make time, or else we'll never get back" Daniel said without looking away from James.

"We could always shoot him" Miles suggested.

"No" Daniel and Charlotte said simultaneously. James had sat down during the argument.

"Now, are you going to tell me what the hell's going on or should I call security?" James asked once everyone fell silent.

Daniel motioned for everyone else to sit down and he gave James a quick overview of their situation. When he finished, James looked at them all as if he had never seen them before. "So, you're telling me that you're from the future? That's completely ridiculous" He laughed bitterly. "I can't believe you'd think I'd believe that" Everyone stared at him without moving, and his laughter faded out unsurely. "You are joking, right Faraday?"

"Dan's horrible at lying. You actually think this is a joke?" Charlotte asked rhetorically. "Look, I can prove it to you"

"Charlotte, are you going to….?" Daniel trailed off as everyone watched him curiously.

"Yes, I have to" Charlotte answered. Daniel watched as she prepared herself. "James, before your daughter and wife left the Island, you gave your daughter a necklace. It had been in your family for years, passed down through the oldest daughter. If the couple had no daughter, it was to be given to the oldest son for his daughter. When you gave it to her, you told her that as long as she wore it, you'd be with her"

James' face had gone white, and he stared at Charlotte. "How do you know that?"

"I know that because I'm your daughter" Charlotte answered.

"If you're my daughter, then where's the necklace?" James asked her. Daniel could tell he was grasping at straws.

Charlotte glanced at Daniel helplessly, and he realized she didn't want to tell her father what had happened to it. "She lost it right before we ended up in this time" Daniel admitted. "We didn't have time to go look for it"

"Before then, I never took it off" Charlotte said quietly. "I'm sorry I lost it" Daniel moved to her side and pulled her close to him, feeling slightly uncomfortable now that James knew he was her father.

"Look, I hate to break up this touching moment, but do you believe us now? Cause if not, we need to figure out something else so we can do what we came here to do" Miles interrupted.

"I believe you" James backed down. "Now, why exactly are you here?"

"I figured out a way we can get back to our time, 2007, safely" Daniel told him. "That's what I've been trying to figure out since I was assigned here"

"Why can't you just get back the way you got here?" James asked.

"We have no idea when we'll end up, and we might keep jumping around. If that happens, we'll probably all…we'll all end up dying" Daniel revealed, and James' expression became grim. Daniel moved to the equipment and began to program it to fit his equations. Everything was set up quickly, and Daniel stepped back. "No, no, no. That's…that's not good. Not good at all" he muttered.

"Dan, what is it?" Charlotte walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"One of us is going to have to stay here" Daniel said quietly, but his words rang through the room.

"Why?" Charlotte asked.

"See that?" Daniel gestured to one of the devices. Charlotte nodded. "Someone is going to need to press that button, so we can be sent back"

"Dan, I know what you're thinking. You are not staying here. I won't let you" Charlotte stepped between him and the button. "You are not leaving me alone"

"But, it's only right" Daniel protested. "I - -I don't have a life there. I'm unemployed, I have a caretaker, and the only family I've got is my mother. I don't even have friends"

"You've got me, Dan" Charlotte said intently. "You've got all of us. You think any of us are going to abandon you once we get home? I love you too much to leave you, either here or when we get back"

Daniel looked her in the eye and cupped her face in his hand. "I love you, too, Char. So much"

"And besides, how are we supposed to get off this Island if we don't have you to figure out the bearing?" Charlotte said jokingly, and Daniel smiled.

"I could do it now, before you leave. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would probably work. And if I went, who else will push it? I won't let any of them do it. They all deserve to go back" Daniel asked. He was torn between going with them, and staying there so everyone else would go.

"I'll do it" James broke in, and Daniel jumped. He had forgotten James was even there, and based on Charlotte's reaction she had as well.

"What?" Charlotte asked as she tore her eyes from Daniel's.

"I'll do it" James repeated. "I belong in this time, and all of you need to go back. Who knows how much you being here has changed things?"

Daniel sighed silently, but he didn't say anything. "Thank you so much" Charlotte smiled happily at James.

Juliet interrupted. "If we're doing this, we need to do it now" Daniel looked over and saw that she was standing closest to the door. "I hear people outside, and I don't know how long they'll be before they come back in"

"Everyone, get in there" Daniel indicated a chamber on the far side of the room. The group listened and immediately began to move inside it.

Daniel and Charlotte turned to go as well, but James stopped them. "Wait. Just, let me say one thing" James said. "Charlotte, I'm so glad I got to see you one more time. You've grown up into an incredible woman, and I'm proud to call you my daughter. And Daniel, take care of her. I know you already have, but humor me" James joked slightly. "Now go"

"Bye, Dad" Charlotte said quietly. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but Daniel heard voices outside of the door. He hurried her into the elevator, and pulled her into his arms. The door closed, and Daniel watched through a window as Phil burst into the lab with a gun. He apparently noticed Daniel in the chamber, and he began to yell and waved the gun around.

"Char, promise me something" Daniel whispered.

"Anything" Charlotte replied, just as quietly.

"Don't look" Daniel replied.

"Why?" Charlotte kept her eyes averted from the window.

"Just trust me" he replied seriously, his eyes still trained on James and Phil. James moved to press the button, and Phil fired the gun. He pushed the button just before the bullet pierced his body, and Daniel watched him fall to the ground.

Light filled the air and the chamber began shaking. Everyone shielded their eyes, and when they opened them the chamber doors were already opened. As they group spilled into the lab, it became clear that they were out of Dharma times. The lab was in disarray, and it looked as if no one had been there in years.

"When are we now?" Miles asked.

"I think we're right when we're supposed to be" Daniel answered as he looked around.


	43. Chapter 43

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

A/N: I'm ignoring what happened with the 316ers in Some Like It Hoth. This is the last chapter.

Chapter 43

"Dan," Charlotte said quietly. "Why'd you tell me not to look?"

"Phil…he came into the lab with a gun" Daniel revealed reluctantly. "Right when James pushed the button, he…"

Charlotte finished his sentence. "He shot him" She swallowed. "Thank you, for not letting me watch" Daniel couldn't think of anything to say, so he just took her hand in his and kissed her temple.

"The best way to figure out when we are is by going back to the camp and see if it's there" Jack suggested after the group had sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Here we go again" Miles groaned.

"It's a good idea" Hurley defended Jack.

"He's right. This situation is different than it was last time" Daniel said as Charlotte moved closer to him. "We know there's a good chance the camp is there, even though it may be a bit run down"

"Then let's go" Jin said eagerly and he left the lab quickly. Everyone else exchanged glances before following him.

While walking through the jungle, Daniel pulled Charlotte aside. "Are you feeling okay? Any dizziness, double vision, headaches?"

"I feel fine, Dan" Charlotte smiled weakly. "You did great"

Daniel nodded distractedly. "Are you okay, with what happened to your dad?"

"Yeah, it's a bit of a shock. He's been dead for the majority of my life. Me being there when he died…I'm a little shaken up, but I'm all right" Charlotte reassured him.

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure" Daniel explained.

"I understand, Dan" Charlotte kissed Daniel after a small pause.

"Guys, come on" Kate called back, effectively interrupting them.

"What I wouldn't give to knock her unconscious again" Charlotte rolled her eyes as they began to hurry towards everyone.

"Maybe you'll get another chance" Daniel said as they caught up to the group.

"Get another chance to do what?" Juliet looked at Daniel in a way that made him think she knew exactly what his comment was about.

"Be shot at" Charlotte answered, and Daniel laughed, remembering their conversation on the beach.

"You two make absolutely no sense" Miles shook his head.

When they were almost at the beach, Alpert emerged from the trees. "Richard, is that really necessary?" Juliet asked.

Richard ignored her question. "I'm glad to see our plan worked, and you all got here safely"

"Thank you" Daniel said when he realized how uneasy everyone else looked.

"You're welcome. Now, that is definitely the last time I'm helping you" Alpert said forcefully before disappearing as silently as he appeared.

"He does that just to show off" Juliet said, staring at the spot where he disappeared.

"Come on" Jim urged them along. When they first caught sight of the camp, relief spread over everyone's faces. "Thank you, Lord" Jim said enthusiastically. "I never thought I'd be this happy to be back here"

"It looks just like it did when we found the canoes" Charlotte pointed out.

"So we're in the right time" Daniel finished. "Char, where are you going?" he asked when she hurried past him

"I'm looking to see if there's anything still in our tent" she called over her shoulder.

"That sounds like a good idea" Jim agreed as he headed towards his tent.

"You're just worried about your stash" Juliet said with amusement. Daniel shook his head and headed over to his tent, following Charlotte.

When he entered, he saw that, unlike the camp, their meager belongings were relatively untouched. "Being in here, it's like we never left" Charlotte turned around and looked at Daniel.

Daniel agreed. "We should pack up whatever we need, and look for the Ajira survivors"

"All right" Charlotte agreed. She surveyed the things surrounding them, and packed a few in her bag. "I don't think we need anything else"

Daniel stopped her from crawling out of the tent. He grabbed her arm, pulled her towards her, and kissed her. When they broke apart, they smiled. "Now we can go" Daniel told her, and she laughed. She kissed him again, and then they left the tent.

A surprising sight caught their attention. Benjamin Linus was standing in the center of the camp, and Sayid was pointing a gun directly at him.

"Sayid!" Charlotte shouted. "You've already shot him once. Isn't that enough?"

"He isn't dead" Sayid answered.

"If you want to know where Sun and John are, you won't shoot me" Ben answered calmly.

"John Locke?" Jack shook his head in disbelief. "He's dead. You know that"

"He's not anymore" Ben replied. "This Island truly is a miraculous place"

"Sayid, put the gun down" Daniel said calmly as he advanced towards him.

"Sayid, please" Jin pleaded. "I want to find Sun"

Jin's pleas must have broken through to him, as Sayid faltered before lowering the gun. "Okay"

"Is everyone ready?" Ben asked, and everyone picked up their bags in response. "We're going to take those canoes"

"Looks like you're going to get your wish" Miles told Charlotte. There were two sitting side by side, and they divided into two groups. Miles, Daniel, Charlotte, Jim, Juliet, and Jin were in one. Hurley, Jack, Kate, Rose, Bernard, and Ben were in the other.

"This situation is extremely familiar" Jim muttered as they pushed the boats in the water. "If people start shooting at us, I'm out of here" he joked.

"And where will you go?" Juliet answered as the jumped in the canoe and picked up their paddles. "Swimming?"

"Well, it is a nice day" Jim smirked then looked at his paddle. "Ah, come on"

"What is it?" Jin asked. Daniel turned around and saw Jim holding up a paddle with a bullet hole in it. Daniel stifled a laugh while Charlotte snorted, which caused everyone else to look at the paddle.

"What's so funny?" Hurley asked as she stared at their canoe in their confusion.

"It's a long story" Charlotte answered before dissolving into laughter again as Jim threw it onto the bottom of the canoe.

"I don't get it" Hurley said.

Ben's canoe pulled slightly ahead and the trip was spent in relative silence. When they docked, they were on a smaller island. "We're on the Hydra Island?" Charlotte asked once the canoes were securely on the beach.

"This is where Ajira 316 landed" Ben told them.

"Don't you mean crashed?" Daniel asked as he stretched out.

"We've been over this. What kinda pilot do you think I am?" Daniel turned and saw Frank leaning against a tree. "Hey, everyone"

"Now this is just weird" Daniel said to no one in particular. "Everyone that left the Island ended up on that plane"

"Not everyone" Jack said. "Michael, Walt, and Aaron weren't"

"But still" Charlotte said. "It's good to see you, Lapidus"

"You too, Charlotte" Frank replied. "Now, where the hell have you all been? We've been looking everywhere for you"

"We'll explain later" Daniel began to look around. "Where's Sun and Locke?"

Frank looked a bit taken aback at Daniel's statement for some reason. "Back there" he gestured behind him. "Ben told us to wait, but I wanted to see what was going on"

"Can we go?" Jin asked hopefully.

Ben looked like he was about to protest. "Come on, let the man see his wife" Frank suggested.

"Fine" Ben said and he set off in the direction Frank indicated, with everyone following. As soon as Jin caught sight of Sun, he ran over and pulled her into his arms. Miles, Frank, Daniel and Charlotte stayed back and watched the reunion of the survivors.

"He threatened you" Charlotte revealed suddenly. "Jin" she clarified. "He threatened you"

"When?" Daniel was shocked at what he told her.

Charlotte turned to look at him, ignoring Miles and Frank. "It was after we went to get the medical supplies for Juliet to use. I was going to follow you to help sterilize, but he stopped me. He started talking in Korean, and I pretended I didn't understand him. He told me that he was going to hurt you if I kept lying, so I caved"

"Is that why you were shaking when I got back to the tent?" Daniel asked as he put his hands on her shoulders. She nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't a big deal" Charlotte moved to brush it off. "And everything worked out in the end"

"That doesn't matter. What he said scared you" Daniel said intently.

"Dan, let it go. It happened three years ago" Charlotte said seriously, and Daniel nodded.

"How long has this been going on?" Frank asked.

"What?" Daniel wasn't sure what he meant.

"The two of you" Frank clarified. "How long?"

"About three years" Charlotte answered.

"They're married now" Miles said before joining the main group. Daniel and Charlotte exchanged a quick glance before following him.

After greeting Locke and Sun, the group slowly walked back to the Ajira camp. "What are we going to tell them?" Charlotte finally asked.

"We'll wing it" Locke said decisively.

Surprisingly, they were welcomed into the Ajira camp rather easily. Apparently, Locke had told them a bit about being on the island before, and how some of the people he was there with were still around. That night, Daniel began calculating the new bearing while Jim told the survivors their plan to get off the Island. Frank had confirmed that although the plan was in good condition, they wouldn't be able to get it off the ground without severely damaging it.

The survivors immediately began working on building rafts, and working together they were completed rather quickly.

Five Years Later

Daniel arrived home from work later than normal, and as he walked in the house two small hurricanes attached themselves to his legs. "Daddy!" the two called happily.

He bent down and gently removed his daughters from his legs and stared at his twin daughters. They were completely identical, and looked surprisingly like their mother. They physical trait they inherited from him were his eyes. "How are you? Did you behave for your mom?"

"You're late" Holly stepped back and stared at him

"I know, and I'm sorry sweetheart. Class ran over" Daniel apologized.

Holly studied him before breaking into a smile. "Don't do it again"

He smiled as well. "I'll try not to. Were you good, Grace?"

She smiled softly. "I'm always good, Daddy"

"Girls, let your dad at least put his things away before you run him over" Charlotte said as she walked into the entryway.

"Sorry, mum" The girls apologized before running into the living room.

"I got lectured by Holly" Daniel told her as he stood up. "She's so much like you, it's not even funny.

"At least Grace isn't like me. You'd probably lose your mind if she was like me, too" Charlotte laughed as Daniel hugged her tightly.

"You would, too" Daniel kissed her quickly. "Her having my personality actually works out well. She balances out Holly"

"That's for sure" Charlotte answered, then winced as the sound of something breaking reached them.

"Holly!" they heard Grace yell. "You're gonna get in trouble"

Charlotte shut her eyes briefly. "At least she tries to keep her in line"

"Is dinner almost ready?" Daniel asked.

"Almost" Charlotte answered and they headed towards the kitchen. "Juliet called. She's trying to get us all to fly out for her baby shower"

"It'll be nice to see everyone again" Daniel mused. "It's been over a year"


End file.
